Jamia Hamdard Loses 150 MBBS & 49 PG Seats After ₹813 Cr CAG Flag

• University pulls 150 MBBS and 49 PG seats over governance crisis.
• Rs 813 crore allegedly diverted, violating UGC norms and regulations.
• Legal battle ongoing; NEET counselling proceeds without HIMSR seats.

In a significant setback to Delhi's medical students, Jamia Hamdard University has withdrawn all 150 MBBS and 49 postgraduate medical seats for the 2025-26 academic year.

This decision, which arrives just ahead of the NEET counselling for deemed universities commencing on July 21, is prompted by accusations of extensive financial irregularities, regulatory failures, and a management deadlock regarding the administration of its medical institute - Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR).

The tentative seat matrix from the National Medical Commission (NMC) for the upcoming academic session indicates "zero" seats for HIMSR, founded in 2012 to enhance Jamia Hamdard's healthcare education initiatives.

In a letter dated June 6 to NMC, the university registrar stated that it could not exert administrative control over HIMSR's online platforms and admissions because of "unauthorised interference by private parties." The letter indicated. The letter stated, "Under these extraordinary circumstances, the university is constrained to withdraw its consent of affiliation for MBBS and PG seats for 2025-26.”

Vice-chancellor Prof Mohammad Afshar Alam said, "I have repeatedly instructed the management of the medical college to strictly adhere to UGC regulations, which are mandatory for all deemed universities. Unfortunately, they have acted in contravention of these norms."

"The university remains fully committed to complying with UGC guidelines. Since the matter is now before the court, we are hopeful of a positive outcome in the interest of students. Without this resolution, we cannot proceed with registering new students. Third-party interference in university affairs is wholly unlawful, and had the NMC acted with the seriousness that the situation demanded, this crisis could have been totally averted" he added.

The dispute intensified following a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit from 2011 to 2023, which revealed that Rs 813 crore designated for HIMSR and its affiliated HAH Centenary Hospital was illegally diverted to the Hamdard Education Society in clear breach of UGC regulations.

In a July 21 order by the Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court recorded the statement of the Additional Solicitor General of India, ministry of health "on account of ongoing legal complications in Jamia Hamdard University-Appellant and Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR), the competent authority has decided not to include any seat from the college onto the seat matrix in the Academic Year-2025".

The court also observed that the email communication from the medical counselling committee (MCC) stated that "no seat in the college is being added to the seat matrix and accordingly no allotment of students shall be made to the college.”

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A whistleblower complaint submitted on June 24 intensified the debate, claiming HIMSR breached its essentiality certificate. The certificate mandates that 85% of seats be reserved for students with Delhi domicile, but the institute reportedly ignored this requirement for years by accepting candidates through all-India and NRI quotas.

Although NMC got the university's withdrawal notice in early June, it took more than a month to seek clarifications and subsequently referred the domicile quota issue to the Delhi Medical Council.

Critics have questioned the delay, with a senior academic remarking, "Weak regulatory oversight has sacrificed hundreds of students and left them scrambling for alternatives. Further diversion of university medical college and hospital funds to third-party account will also amount to money laundering."