From First Choice To Uncertainty: How HIMSR-Jamia Hamdard’s Court Battle Has Left Medical Students Stranded

With its modern infrastructure, association with a large tertiary care hospital, and robust academic standing, the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR) in the national capital once stood on the strong academic reputation of Jamia Hamdard (Deemed University). The HIMSR was widely considered a preferred destination for private medical education, consistently attracting high-ranking NEET aspirants, reputed faculty members, and patients from across the Capital.

However, the ongoing legal and administrative battle between Jamia Hamdard and its affiliated HIMSR has triggered deep uncertainty for medical students — affecting examinations, admissions, faculty continuity, and even the allocation of MBBS and postgraduate seats.

Students and faculty have alleged that they have been caught in the crossfire of a long-running governance conflict among factions of the Hamdard family that control these institutions. The dispute has increasingly shifted from internal boardroom battles into the courtroom, with the immediate consequences being borne by those pursuing medical education. One can see these students shuffling court orders, trying to read between the lines of the orders.

What has been the most worrying for the students is that in mid-2025, the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) tentative seat matrix for the 2025–26 academic year showed zero MBBS seats for HIMSR — effectively removing 150 MBBS and 49 postgraduate seats that would normally have been available in counselling.

This sudden exclusion occurred amid legal turmoil over the affiliation status of HIMSR with Jamia Hamdard University, leaving NEET-UG and PG aspirants in limbo, said a group of students on the condition of anonymity.

In December 2025, an executing court ordered Jamia Hamdard to reissue the Consent of Affiliation (CoA) required for HIMSR to offer its 150 MBBS seats for the academic year, finding that the university’s withdrawal of consent had frustrated an earlier arbitral directive — and ordered the university to restore affiliation within seven days.

Shortly after, however, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court quashed the separate order that had directed Jamia Hamdard to issue consent for those seats. The bench clarified that an executing court cannot impose such an obligation where it goes beyond enforcing an arbitral award, leaving the question of affiliation and seat restoration to statutory processes under bodies like the UGC and NMC.

In this midst of the despair, the Supreme Court has offered a ray of hope for the disappointed students. In its order dated January 12, 2026, the Apex Court has directed the Single Judge of the High Court to re-consider this issue, while staying the observations and directions of the only order ever passed against issuance of Consent of Affiliation to HIMSR.

“The matter is sub judice. We are not concerned with who runs the college or the university. All we want is that our studies are not disrupted and examinations are conducted as per rules so our future remains secure,” said the students, many of whom have taken to social media to express the confusion, frustration, and emotional stress caused by the Hamdard University–HIMSR dispute.

They said the uncertainty has had real consequences as examinations have been postponed or cancelled at short notice, causing stress and disruption. “Results are delayed, affecting postgraduate admissions and career planning while experienced faculty members are leaving the institute due to the instability, disrupting academic continuity,” said a student on the condition of anonymity.

One student noted that faculty disputes and administrative chaos have even extended to demands that fees be paid into different accounts and tensions over institutional control — with everyday academic life increasingly caught up in governance battles.

While neither the NMC nor courts have found regulatory non-compliance in HIMSR’s academic standards, the administrative impasse has directly impacted the institution’s ability to admit students for the current academic year, according to the students.

The legal proceedings continue, with the Delhi High Court and arbitral tribunal directives shaping the next stage. The key questions moving forward are whether Jamia Hamdard will reissue the required consent for affiliation and whether the NMC and counselling authorities will reinstate HIMSR’s seats for current and future NEET cycles. Until those outcomes are resolved, students remain in a state of uncertainty over their academic pathways and professional futures, noted education experts.

They said the case serves as a cautionary tale for India’s rapidly expanding private medical education sector. “Institutions may meet academic standards, but governance disputes can still derail students’ careers if regulatory safeguards are weak,” said a former medical education regulator.

Students echo this concern. “We cleared NEET, paid high fees, and chose this college because of its reputation. Now we are paying the price for disputes we had no role in,” one student wrote on social media.

Students have demanded clear communication from regulators, protection of enrolled students’ academic interests, and assurance that institutional disputes will not jeopardise degrees.

As one student put it bluntly: “Medical education is already stressful. Students should not be collateral damage in legal wars.”