BJP legislators met J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha seeking changes to admission rules after 42 of 50 MBBS seats at SMVDIME were allotted to Muslim students, triggering protests by right-wing groups.
BJP leaders demanded amendments to the Shrine Board and University Acts, arguing the institute should reflect the Vaishno Devi shrine’s religious ethos.
Officials clarified that admissions were strictly merit-based and that the institute is not a minority institution, making religion-based quotas legally impermissible.
BJP Legislators Meet J&K LG Over SMVDIME MBBS Admission List, Seek Rule Changes
The controversy began after SMVDIME released its first MBBS merit list for the 2025–26 academic session. Out of 50 seats, 42 were allocated to Muslim candidates.
Summary
BJP legislators in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to raise objections over the first MBBS admission list released by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), where 42 of the 50 selected candidates are Muslim students.
The delegation submitted a memorandum demanding changes to the existing admission rules and sought immediate corrective measures. The move comes amid protests by several right-wing organisations in Reasi district over the composition of the selected candidates.
BJP MLA R.S. Pathania said that institutions funded by the offerings of devotees of the Vaishno Devi shrine should reflect the spiritual character of the shrine. In a post on social media platform X, he called for amendments to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Act and the University Act to align the institution’s functioning with what he described as its “sacred ethos”.
The controversy began after SMVDIME released its first MBBS merit list for the 2025–26 academic session. Out of 50 seats, 42 were allocated to Muslim candidates. Several Hindu organisations claimed that the institute, being funded by the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, should prioritise Hindu students. Some groups further demanded that the institute be granted minority status to enable religion-based reservation.
Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and other local organisations held protests on Friday, alleging an “unfair imbalance” in the admission process and calling for government intervention.
Officials, however, clarified that the admissions were conducted strictly on the basis of merit. They stated that SMVDIME is not a minority institution and, under existing law, cannot provide religion-based reservations.
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