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1993 Supreme(Pat) 287

PATNA HIGH COURT
S.B.Sinha and A.N.Chaturvedi JJ.
Syed Welayat Hussain
Versus
State Of Bihar
Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No. 11696 of 1992 ;
Decided On : JULY 19, 1993

Headnote:

MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE, 1992 - Validity - Right to establish and administer educational institutions - Whether absolute - Whether State can prohibit establishment of any Medical Institution - Whether provisions of the Amendment Act are unconstitutional - Whether the students of an unrecognised institution have a legal right to appear at the examination.

Fact of the Case:

Petitioners, a trust running a medical college, and students of the college, challenged the validity of the Medical Council of India (Amendment) Ordinance, 1992, which prohibited the establishment of new medical colleges without the permission of the Central Government. The petitioners contended that the right to establish and administer educational institutions was a fundamental right under Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India and that the State could not prohibit the establishment of any medical institution.

Finding of the Court:

The Court held that the right to establish and administer educational institutions was not an absolute right and that the State could regulate the establishment of such institutions in order to ensure excellence of education and proper management. The Court further held that the provisions of the Amendment Act were not unconstitutional and that the students of an unrecognised institution did not have a legal right to appear at the examination.

Issues: 1. Whether the right to establish and administer educational institutions is an absolute right? 2. Whether the State can prohibit the establishment of any medical institution? 3. Whether the provisions of the Medical Council of India (Amendment) Ordinance, 1992 are unconstitutional? 4. Whether the students of an unrecognised institution have a legal right to appear at the examination?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The right to establish and administer educational institutions is not an absolute right and the State can regulate the establishment of such institutions in order to ensure excellence of education and proper management. 2. The State can prohibit the establishment of any medical institution if it is necessary to ensure the quality of medical education and to prevent the establishment of institutions that are not properly equipped or staffed. 3. The provisions of the Medical Council of India (Amendment) Ordinance, 1992 are not unconstitutional as they are a reasonable restriction on the right to establish and administer educational institutions. 4. The students of an unrecognised institution do not have a legal right to appear at the examination.

Final Decision: The Court dismissed the petitions and upheld the validity of the Medical Council of India (Amendment) Ordinance, 1992.

Judgment

S.B.SINHA, J.

1. Both these writ applications involving common questions of fact and law were taken up for hearing together and are being disposed of by a common judgment.

2. Before, however, adverting to the said questions, the fact of the matter may be noticed.

3. One trust commonly known as Dr. Abdul Khair, Educational and Charitable Fund Trust (hereinafter called and referred to as the trust) is said to have been founded by one Dr. Khalid Khair. The said trust allegedly is a Muslim Minority Trust. According to the petitioners the said trust administers and maintains a College known as Maulana Azad Institute of Medical Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the said College) as a minority Institution within the meaning of Article 30 of the Constitution of India. The said College was established in the year 1989 and in order to achieve their object of the said trust, the family members of the founder thereof had agreed to execute deed of gift in respect of 14 acres of land in favour of the said trust. Allegedly, the Institution has a big building at Haridas Chatterjee Lane, Gaya and a nearby building is used as Hostel for the students. The authorities of the said College approached the State of Bihar for the purpose of grant of necessary approval as a minority Institution. The Governing body also filed an applications before the Medical Council of India by a letter dated 23-2-1989. By letter dated 5-4-1989, the Medical Council of India informed the trustee-in-chief of the said trust that it as also the Government of India are not in favour of starting any new Medical College in the country. The trust filed a representation on 15-12-1989 before the Chief Minister for grant of necessary permission to run the aforementioned Medical College. By another letter dated 15-1-1990 another representation to the aforementioned effect was also made to the Health Minister. By a letter dated 2-41991, the Governing Body of the College filed an application before Magadh University for its affiliation in prescribed form. By a letter dated 14-6-1991, the University informed the College that without prior permission obtained from the State Government, the application for opening such technical Institute cannot be granted. Second representation was filed by the trust to the Secretary of Health Department on 30/10/1991. The students of the said College also filed a representation on 7-2-1992 before the Governor of Bihar (Chancellor of the University), Chairman of the Inter University Board, copies whereof were also sent to the Prime Minister of India, President, Minority Commission and Vice-Chancellor, Magadh University. Petitioners have further brought on records that the Supreme Court of India by an order dated 16-7-1992 passed in S.L.P. No. 7502 of 1992 permitted holding of examination so far as the students of Katihar Medical College are concerned. The said Special Leave petition appears to have been filed against a judgment passed by learned single Judge of this Court in C.W.J.C. No. 7985 of 1990, reported in (1992) 1 Pat LJR 747, upon difference of opinion between two other Hon ble Judges of this Court which is reported in (1991) 2 Pat LJR 56.

4. On 27-8-1992 the President of India in exercise of his power conferred upon him under Art. 123 of the Constitution promulgated an Ordinance being Ordinance No. 13 of 1992 known as Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 1992; in terms whereof, inter alia, Secs. 10A, 10B and 10C were inserted in the Indian Medical Council Act (hereinafter referred as the said Act).

5. Petitioners filed writ applications before the Supreme Court of India being writ petition No. 671 of 1992 and 668 of 1992 and by an order dated 22-9-1992 the said applications were permitted to be withdrawn with a liberty to move this Court. C.W.J.C. No. 11507 of 1992 was filed on behalf of the trust on 11-11-1992 whereas students of the said Institution filed a separate writ application being C.W.J.C. No. 11696 of 1992, on





































































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