Supreme Court Clears Way for Paramedical Admissions in Madhya Pradesh
On August 1, the Supreme Court of India cleared the way for resuming the admission process for paramedical courses in Madhya Pradesh for the academic years 2023–24 and 2024–25. This came after a previous stay order issued by a division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur on July 16, in response to a petition filed by a law students' association.
The High Court had halted the recognition and admission process for paramedical courses. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Registrar of the Madhya Pradesh Paramedical Council, informed the Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran that the High Court had passed an overly harsh order based on a petition filed by law students who had no stake in the matter.
He cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused delays in the timely commencement of paramedical courses. Rohatgi argued that the Registrar of the Paramedical Council is responsible for granting recognition and regulating admissions, and the High Court’s order had stalled everything.
The Chief Justice questioned how law students could file such a petition and subsequently stayed the High Court’s order. A notice was also issued to the state government and others involved.
The original High Court stay came after 166 paramedical institutions were allowed to start courses for the 2023–24 academic year, despite being officially recognized only in 2025. The High Court called the timeline "illogical" and questioned how institutions could run a 2023–24 session when they technically did not exist during the course start period.
The Court examined the Paramedical Council's order dated July 14, which permitted 166 institutions to operate courses starting November 2023 to October 2024. However, the deadline to apply for recognition was December 31, 2023. The bench strongly opposed this retroactive approval, stating it defied reason, sensitivity, and the discretion of a reasonable person.