As we all know under the British rule Uttar Pradesh, was known by the name of United Province.  Allahabad, our city, happened to be the capital of this United Province.

Pandit Moti Lal Nehru, a lawyer by profession actively participated in the freedom movement and made this city his home. Although he was born in Agra he got his higher education at Muir Central College, Allahabad (the science faculty).

He was registered in the list of lawyers of Allahabad High Court in 1893 and that of advocates in 1896. Panditji was an extremely wealthy person but had a soft corner for the poor and the down trodden. He had nurtured a strong desire to have a medical college at Allahabad to serve the ailing and needy poor. He was aware that there was a Government policy to open five medical colleges in India at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Lahore and Allahabad but the progress was very slow. He was highly disappointed by the slow pace, and so as a member of a deputation that called upon Lord Curzon the then Viceroy of India, he made it a point to remind the Viceroy of the promise made by the British Government almost half a century ago, but to no avail.

Although Pandit Moti Lal Nehru made continuous efforts to get a Medical College opened at Allahabad but his dream was realized only in 1961. on 5th of may 1961 the Hon’ble first President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad laid the foundation stone of the medical College which was named after this renowned son of the country as Moti Lal Nehru Medical College.
There happened to be a British district jail at South Malaka.  This was the place where Pandit Moti Lal Nehru was kept imprisoned, in 1930, for his leading role in the freedom movement. After independence the initial planning was to convert the jail into the district hospital of Allahabad but thanks to Sri Chandra Bhanu Gupta, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, orders were issued to hand over its premises to the medical College and the teaching hospital of the medical college thus came into existence here. This jail was also historic as it had witnessed the hanging of Shahid Roshan Singhji. A statue to commemorate his sacrifice is installed in these premises.
Initially both the teaching wing and hospital were established in the jail campus which was named as Swaroop Rani Nehru hospital after the wife of Pandit Moti Lal Nehru. On 16th May 1961 Professor Preetam Das was appointed as first Principal of Medical College and superintendent of the S.R.N. Hospital as well as the Head of the department of surgery.
A pre medical test was conducted on 22nd June 1961 under the watchful eye of the founder principal and a batch of 50 students was admitted to the college on 2nd August 1961. The first lecture was taken on 18th August 1961 by Prof. Pritam Das. At that time there was very limited space. The OPD was conducted in the room now known as radiology department. Orthopaedics operation theatre (OT) of today happened to the emergency operation theatre (OT) at that time. Both the initial departments Anatomy and Physiology were functioning there. In 1963, the Governor house or Rajya Bhavan was finally acquired for the college which is today utilized for residential and teaching purposes.
Apart from teaching departments, Library, Administrative Block, Boys & Girls hostels, residence of Faculty members, Guest house, Alumni building, sports field, NCC office and GHTA are situated in the campus. The Jail campus was converted into the teaching hospital of the college and is known as Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital after the wife of Pandit Moti Lal Nehru.  By 1966 with the establishment of other departments in the newly constructed buildings within the campus the functioning of the college came into full swing.