477 nursing institutions restrained from admitting students

Bangalore, Apr 19 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court today held as ''illegal and unauthorised'', the approvals and recognition granted by the State Government to about 477 nursing institutions and restrained them from making admissions for 2007-08 until they got approval from the Karnataka Nursing Council and took permission from the High Court.

Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Mr Justice B S Patil passed the order after going through the reports and submissions made on behalf of the Karnataka Nursing Council, the Indian Nursing Council, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and the Government on a suo moto petition, registered on the basis of a letter written by Kerala Human Rights Commission Chairman Mr Justice Mohankumar bringing to the notice of the Chief Justice complaints regarding irregularities in the management of nursing schools in Karnataka.

The court said the approvals granted by the Government were not in accordance with the Constitutional provisions and that the Government had usurped powers of the Karnataka Nursing Council by asking it to forward the institutions' applications to grant approval and that the Karnataka Nursing Council had abdicated its power by forwarding the applications.

The court further observed that considering the fact that thousands of students had taken admission in the nursing schools in the belief that the recognition, approval and affiliation was valid, the court did not propose to do anything against the admissions already made. However, the nursing schools could not be permitted to make any further admissions on the basis of approval granted by the State Government unless they had sought and obtained approval and recognition from the Karnataka Nursing Council in accordance with the provisions of law.

The State Government and the Nursing Council were directed to publicise the direction so that innocent students were not misled.

UNI