Srinagar, Jan 21, KDC: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) has stated that it does not have the mandate to create or allot supernumerary MBBS seats, effectively shifting the responsibility for the future of 50 students admitted to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) to the government level.
In an official communication a copy of which lies with news agency Kashmir Dot Com, addressed to the Administrative Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, JKBOPEE clarified that it is constrained from conducting any fresh counselling for the academic session 2025–26 as it cannot go beyond the schedule notified by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi.
The Board further noted that, as per MCC directions, the data of 1,410 MBBS candidates—including 50 candidates admitted to SMVDIME—had already been uploaded on the MCC portal on the last date of joining, December 31, 2025. JKBOPEE categorically stated that the “creation and allotment of supernumerary seats does not fall within the ambit of JKBOPEE.”
Accordingly, the Board said that any fresh allocation of supernumerary seats to these students would have to be taken up at the government level in consultation with the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the concerned medical colleges in the Union Territory.
The development triggered sharp political reactions, with Sajjad Lone strongly criticising the government’s handling of the issue. Taking to X, Lone described the situation as “unbelievable” and accused the government of abandoning the affected students.
“The heartlessness of the government in washing its hands off the 50 students of the ‘once upon a time’ Vaishno Devi medical college is shocking. The government, in its typical style, has shifted the blame elsewhere. These students are now academically stranded and at the mercy of God knows who,” Lone wrote.
Quoting British author George Orwell, Lone added: “Short of being dead, it is the final, unsurpassable stage of irresponsibility,” remarking that this, according to him, reflected “the bloody state of this government.”
The issue has raised serious concerns about the academic future of the affected students, even as clarity is awaited on whether the government will step in to resolve the matter in consultation with central regulatory authorities. (KDC)
