Al-Falah medical college sees full house for MBBS even as terror-links crackdown rocks campus

Al Falah University

Even as investigators have identified the link between Faridabad’s Al-Falah Medical College and the November 10 blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, the college continued with its admission process. On November 13, the final round of counselling was underway to fill the last 15 seats of its MBBS programme.

College officials confirmed on Wednesday that all 150 MBBS seats for the 2025–26 academic year have now been filled. Meanwhile, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has said it will provide necessary inputs to investigating agencies after examining all aspects of the case. Officials added that the regulator will decide the next steps only after reviewing the complete findings.

Al-Falah MBBS seats, annual fees: Admissions continue despite turmoil

The Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, part of Al-Falah University, received NMC approval in 2019 to admit its first batch of MBBS students. The college currently offers 150 seats, with an annual first-year fee of Rs 16,37,500 for Indian students and USD 32,900 for NRI students.

Admissions are conducted through Haryana’s NEET-UG-based counselling system, managed by the Department of Medical Education and Research. Students whose names appear in the provisional allotment list must undergo document verification at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences in Rohtak.

Despite three rounds of counselling held between August 8 and October 22, 15 seats remained vacant. These were ultimately filled in the stray round on November 13, according to the provisional list released on November 17. The newly admitted batch is scheduled to join the college on Thursday.

Notably, admission scores varied widely. In Round 3, NEET-UG scores as low as 155, just 11 marks above the qualifying cutoff of 144, secured seats under the NRI quota. In the stray round, the lowest scores admitted under minority and management quotas were 250 and 231, respectively.

“During counselling, many students opt for upgrades as they get colleges better suited to their scores. Some who joined us earlier shifted to government colleges, while others upgraded into our college. After the first three rounds, we had 15 seats left, but all were filled in the stray round by students who chose us during the choice-filling stage,” a faculty member was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.

Questions on reputation and regulatory concerns

The blast investigation has led to concerns about whether the controversy will impact the college’s reputation and students’ future. However, several education experts say it is too early to draw conclusions.

Dr Vivek Singh Malik, professor at PGIMS Rohtak and vice-president of the Haryana State Medical Teachers Association (HSMTA), said, “A single incident cannot define a college’s reputation. Al-Falah is required to follow all NMC norms. Many students choose it because its fees are lower than other private medical colleges, which charge over Rs 25 lakh per year. Students trust that if the government continues to allow the college to function, their degrees will remain valid.”

University faces separate ED action

On November 14, the NMC removed the names of four doctors, Muzaffar Ahmad, Adeel Ahmad Rather, Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, and Shaheen Shahid, from its medical register. All four are accused of involvement in the terror module linked to the Delhi blast and have been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). They are no longer allowed to practise medicine.

Earlier, on November 12, Al-Falah University vice-chancellor Bhupinder Kaur clarified in a statement that the institution had “no connection” with the arrested doctors beyond their official roles.

Meanwhile, the university is also facing scrutiny from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On Tuesday, the ED arrested Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, chairman of the Al-Falah group, alleging that the university falsely claimed NAAC accreditation and wrongly declared eligibility under Section 12(B) of the UGC Act. The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has already revoked the university’s membership.