MBBS counselling schedule announced for 50 J&K students of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College

Jammu, Jan 22 (IANS) J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) on Thursday announced the counselling schedule for 50 supernumerary seats in the new Medical Colleges of the union territory for students of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME).

A notification issued by J&K BOPEE said today, “The J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) will be conducting physical counselling on 24th January, 2026 at 10 a.m. onwards amongst the 50 MBBS selected candidates of SMVDIME, based on merit. The supernumerary seats have been created as per orders issued by the National Medical Council (NMC). These supernumerary seats are being allocated in seven new Government Medical Colleges of the UT.”

It said that the counselling process will be concluded on the same day, and all 50 MBBS selected candidates will be allocated to these seven medical colleges on the basis of merit cum preference.

“The detailed notification has already been issued by BOPEE vide notification no 015 of 2026 dated 21 01 2026, and has been uploaded on the website of the board. All 50 candidates have been informed through various modes of communication. For more information, candidates are advised to visit the official website of the J&K Board of Professional Entrance Exams,” the BOPEE notification said.

It must be recalled that the careers of 50 students of SMVDIME hung in the balance after the National Medical Council (NMC) withdrew recognition to SMVDIME, citing reasons of inadequate faculty and infrastructure.

The decision followed an agitation by the Sangharsh Samiti against the admission of non-Hindu candidates to the college, asserting that the college was a minority Hindu college in J&K exclusively meant for Hindu candidates.

The demand was rejected by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who said that the medical college was receiving a grant from the J&K government, and the statutes of SMVDIME did not mention that it was a minority institute.

The Sangharsh Samiti was agitating against the admission of 14 Muslim candidates to the college, even though the admissions had been made purely on the basis of merit.

–IANS

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