6 months ago
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah connected Monday (November 24, 2025) opposed immoderate determination to admit students connected the ground of their religion and stated that “admissions should beryllium based connected merit and not religion”.
“When the J&K Assembly passed the Bill to found Mata Vaishno Devi University successful 1999, wherever was it written that boys and girls of 1 religion would beryllium excluded? The Act intelligibly allows admissions based solely connected merit. Now, erstwhile admittance decisions travel merit, immoderate radical are unhappy,” Mr. Abdullah said.
Mr. Abdullah’s connection came 2 days aft the BJP submitted a memorandum to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha connected scrapping this year’s MBBS database of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra. This year, 42 Muslim students qualified for the MBBS courses astatine the varsity retired of a full of 50 seats. The BJP besides sought L-G’s involution to reserve each the seats for Hindus astatine the varsity due to the fact that “it has travel up implicit donations of Hindu devotees”.
However, Mr. Abdullah stated that the communicative being floated astir admissions astatine the Mata Vaishno Devi University was an effort to “move away from law principles”.
“Making admittance decisions based connected religion could acceptable a precedent affecting different nationalist services,” Mr. Abdullah said. He said the instrumentality does not restrict admissions to immoderate spiritual group.
Mr. Abdullah said immoderate effort to bypass merit would necessitate support from the Supreme Court. “If you privation to behaviour admissions without merit, past 1 should attack the Supreme Court. Admission cannot beryllium granted without merit. Introducing religion into admissions would interruption law provisions. Once religion becomes a origin successful organization decisions, it could power different areas of governance,” Mr. Abdullah said.
“Can akin principles beryllium followed successful societal payment schemes oregon policing. Can duties beryllium based connected religion?” helium added.
He asked BJP person and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma to “study the applicable Act of the Assembly”.
“What is the mistake of the aspirants who gained admittance connected merit? They should besides intelligibly accidental that Muslims volition not beryllium treated successful Shri Mata Vaishno Devi hospital,” Mr. Abdullah added.
Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam besides opposed the move. “Is India a secular country? Have Muslims fought and participated successful the state conflict oregon not? The BJP needs to guarantee that determination is harmony and brotherhood successful the country,” said Mr. Islam, who besides condemned the Red Fort blast that near 15 civilians dormant successful New Delhi connected November 10.
