MBBS listing row: Admissions ought to be primarily based on benefit, not faith, says J&Ok CM

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday (November 24, 2025) opposed any transfer to confess college students on the premise of their religion and acknowledged that “admissions ought to be primarily based on benefit and never faith”.

“When the J&Ok Meeting handed the Invoice to determine Mata Vaishno Devi College in 1999, the place was it written that girls and boys of 1 faith can be excluded? The Act clearly permits admissions primarily based solely on benefit. Now, when admission choices comply with benefit, some persons are sad,” Mr. Abdullah mentioned.

Mr. Abdullah’s assertion got here two days after the BJP submitted a memorandum to J&Ok Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on scrapping this yr’s MBBS listing of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi College (SMVDU), Katra. This yr, 42 Muslim college students certified for the MBBS programs on the varsity out of a complete of fifty seats. The BJP additionally sought L-G’s intervention to order all of the seats for Hindus on the varsity as a result of “it has come up over donations of Hindu devotees”.

Nevertheless, Mr. Abdullah acknowledged that the narrative being floated round admissions on the Mata Vaishno Devi College was an try to “transfer away from constitutional rules”.

“Making admission choices primarily based on faith may set a precedent affecting different public companies,” Mr. Abdullah mentioned. He mentioned the regulation doesn’t limit admissions to any spiritual group.

Mr. Abdullah mentioned any try to bypass benefit would require approval from the Supreme Courtroom. “If you wish to conduct admissions with out benefit, then one ought to method the Supreme Courtroom. Admission can’t be granted with out benefit. Introducing faith into admissions would violate constitutional provisions. As soon as faith turns into a consider institutional choices, it may affect different areas of governance,” Mr. Abdullah mentioned.

“Can related rules be adopted in social welfare schemes or policing. Can duties be primarily based on faith?” he added.

He requested BJP chief and Chief of Opposition Sunil Sharma to “research the related Act of the Meeting”.

“What’s the mistake of the aspirants who gained admission on benefit? They need to additionally clearly say that Muslims is not going to be handled in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi hospital,” Mr. Abdullah added.

Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam additionally opposed the transfer. “Is India a secular nation? Have Muslims fought and took part within the freedom wrestle or not? The BJP wants to make sure that there may be concord and brotherhood within the nation,” mentioned Mr. Islam, who additionally condemned the Purple Fort blast that left 15 civilians useless in New Delhi on November 10.