‘Facts Don’t Lie’
Dr Varinder Sharma
drvarindersharmabjp@gmail.com
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s recent claim that “merit, not religion” guides MBBS admissions at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) has triggered widespread debate. But more importantly, it has exposed deep inconsistencies and a worrying willingness to mislead the public on an issue that affects the future of hundreds of hardworking medical aspirants. Omar Abdullah’s statement that admissions should be based solely on merit, not religion appears progressive on the surface, it raises serious questions about double standards in India’s educational landscape, particularly when compared to the widespread practice of religious quotas in minority institutions across the country.
In the first MBBS batch at SMVDIME, 42 out of 50 seats went to Muslim students, with only seven Hindu students and one Sikh student securing admission. This institution, funded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board through donations from Hindu devotees, sparked outrage among local Hindu organizations who demanded that seats be reserved for those who have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi.
The question is not whether SMVDMC currently follows a merit-only system.
The real question is: Why is a Hindu trust-established medical institution being denied the same constitutional treatment that dozens of minority-run institutions across India have enjoyed for decades? Instead of acknowledging this imbalance, Omar Abdullah has chosen to defend irregularities and silence legitimate concerns. This requires serious examination.
Across India, religious minority institutions like Christian, Muslim, Jain, Sikh, etc. are constitutionally allowed to reserve seats for their own communities under Article 30. Article 30 of the Indian Constitution grants religious and linguistic minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. This provision allows these institutions to give preference to students from their own community in admissions, maintain autonomy in administrative decisions, reserve a significant percentage of seats for their community members and receive government aid without discrimination.
To cite some examples let me first refer to a couple of Muslim minority engineering colleges like Deccan College of Engineering & Technology (Hyderabad) which reserves 75% of seats for Muslim students. Then there is Rizvi College of Engineering (Mumbai) which reserves at least 50% seats for Muslim minority students.
Data reveals that Muslim minority medical colleges (MBBS) have a similar quota system reserved for their community students. Most well-known Muslim-minority medical college Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (Delhi) has a reservation of 50% seats for Muslim students and like that Yenepoya Medical College (Karnataka) too has a similar percentage of quota for Muslim students. Kerala too is not different and its MES Medical College (Kerala) has reserved 50% seats for Muslim community students.
To name a few more let me apprise chief minister Omar Abdullah that Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore and Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala have also reserved 50% MBBS seats for Muslim Community students in their colleges. This pattern is consistent across multiple states like Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, one of India’s most prestigious medical institutions, maintains structured minority channels for Christian applicants. Through network Christian bodies, management quota and exclusive Christian merit lists.
In some years, Christian admissions constitute the majority of the intake in certain programs.
This is lawful because they are a declared minority institution. In Maharashtra, unaided private minority institutions have been asked to reserve at least 51% of seats for minority students and in parts of Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, minority institutions get 50-70% control over their seat matrix. These examples make one fact crystal clear that religious-minority institutions across India enjoy vast autonomy over admissions, and reserve huge percentages of their seats beginning from 50% which in some cases rises up to even 75% for their communities.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College is founded by a Hindu religious trust but it does not get the rights or autonomy that Christian or Muslim institutions enjoy under Article 30. This leads to a direct and unavoidable question: If Christian and Muslim institutions can reserve 50-75% of seats for their communities, why does SMVD Medical College have zero such rights?
Why are Hindu-established institutions automatically assumed to be “general category only,” while others get legally protected community quotas? Why are students from J&K deprived of the structural benefits that students in minority colleges receive elsewhere?
Instead of answering these serious constitutional and policy questions, Omar Abdullah gave a sweeping and dismissive statement, one that conveniently ignored national precedent. The Chief Minister’s defence of the admissions process appears more political than factual. He did not explain why other religiously established colleges have large quotas but Vaishno Devi does not. He did not acknowledge the discrepancies raised by students. He did not address why seat allocation at SMVDMC lacks the transparency required under the law.
Similarly, he did not discuss why J&K should be an exception when the rest of India follows one constitutional pattern. Instead, he tried to close the debate with a one-line justification: “merit only.” But students were not questioning merit, they were questioning irregularities, lack of clarity, and apparent manipulation in admissions. By ignoring these concerns, Omar Abdullah has shown a disturbing disregard for fairness.
To be very honest students expect honesty. They expect accountability but what they get in return is political shielding of a flawed process. A true leader admits when administrative mistakes are made and ensures correction not any cover-up like chief minister Omar Abdullah did. A true leader stands for all students, not selective political constituencies. Instead of acknowledging that admissions may have been mishandled, Omar Abdullah chose to defend the system blindly even aggressively. His posture suggests an approach driven by political survival, not public welfare.
The young aspirants of Jammu & Kashmir worked for years, prepared for NEET with sacrifice and determination. Their concerns cannot be brushed aside with political talking points. If minority institutions in India can lawfully reserve half or more of their seats, then denying the same structural rights to Vaishno Devi Medical College while simultaneously justifying irregular admissions is a serious inequity. There might have been some wrong or grey area left while establishing the college but now is the time to make corrections and not justify them and create a divide.
The students are not asking for special treatment but the same rights that others already enjoy across India. They are asking for an admission process free of ambiguity and manipulation. Instead of defending flawed admissions, Omar Abdullah should acknowledge that the process requires correction, push for transparency in SMVDMC admissions, recognise the need for equitable treatment of all religiously established institutions, advocate for students rather than shielding systems and deliver justice.
(The writer is co-convenor, health cell, Bharatiya Janata Party J&K)
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