MBBS students hit by medical college derecognition to get new seats on Jan 24

In a major relief for 50 MBBS students affected by the revocation of approval to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) has announced January 24 as the fresh date for counselling. The process will allocate supernumerary seats in government-run medical colleges across the Union Territory, ensuring the students can continue their medical education without losing an academic year.

The crisis began earlier this month when the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) Medical Assessment and Rating Board withdrew the Letter of Permission granted to SMVDIME, citing non-compliance with minimum standards. This effectively invalidated the admissions made by the college, sparking anxiety among students and their families. The NMC had instructed that affected students should be accommodated in other medical institutions within Jammu and Kashmir through the creation of supernumerary seats. These additional seats are designed to protect the academic future of students without disrupting the existing admission structure.

Earlier, JKBOPEE had maintained that it could not conduct fresh counselling for MBBS admissions, stating in a letter to the Union Territory’s Health and Medical Education Department that the creation and allocation of supernumerary seats fell outside its mandate. According to the Board, its role is limited to following the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare schedule for the academic session. The letter noted that data for 1,410 MBBS candidates , including the 50 from SMVDIME, had already been updated on the MCC portal by December 31, 2025. The Board had advised that the fresh allocation of supernumerary seats should be handled at the government level in consultation with the NMC and the respective medical colleges.

The composition of the inaugural batch at SMVDIME 42 Muslim students , 7 Hindu students , and 1 Sikh student had earlier triggered demands from certain groups, including the Sangharsh Samiti, for reserving seats exclusively for Hindu students and scrapping the current admissions. Amid these tensions, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had assured that the education of the affected students would not suffer. “It is our legal responsibility to accommodate them. We will adjust them by creating supernumerary seats in colleges close to their homes so that their education does not suffer,” he had said.

Following consultations between the Health and Medical Education Department and JKBOPEE, the fresh counselling has now been scheduled to ensure a transparent, merit-based redistribution of students. The 50 supernumerary seats will be distributed across seven newly established government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir. Allocation will strictly follow the candidates’ NEET-UG merit rankings and their stated preferences.

Officials have emphasized that all eligible students must participate in the counselling process as per the notified schedule, as seat allocation will be final and binding. The development has been welcomed by students and parents, who had been demanding swift government intervention to safeguard their careers. The January 24 counselling is seen as a crucial step in resolving one of the most significant disruptions in medical education in the Union Territory in recent years.