The Jabalpur Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the state authorities to grant recognition to nursing colleges for the academic session 2024-25 based on the Madhya Pradesh Nursing Institutions Recognition Rules, 2018, without imposing any new or additional requirements.

The court emphasised that any such conditions should not interfere with the existing procedures already followed for granting recognition, as reported by LiveLaw.in.

The division bench, consisting of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi and Justice Achal Kumar Paliwal, delivered the verdict after hearing a petition from several nursing colleges.

The petitioners had raised concerns about a new condition imposed by the Madhya Pradesh Nurses Registration Council (MPNRC), which required colleges seeking recognition to have their independent hospital with a capacity of at least 100 beds. The petitioners argued that this requirement was not part of the original recognition rules and was not feasible to meet in the short term.

The petitioners argued that this new condition, imposed just ahead of the 2024-25 academic session, was arbitrary and illegal, as it went beyond the established provisions in the 2018 rules.

The bench ruled in favour of the petitioners, stating that the recognition for the 2024-25 session should be based on the existing rules, reported LiveLaw.in.

The court further observed that the petitioners had previously been granted recognition based on their affiliation with government or private hospitals, and this practice should continue for the current session.

The court also directed the MPNRC to open the online portal for a three-day period to allow the petitioners and other colleges to submit their applications for recognition, ensuring that the application process would be accessible and timely. The portal details would be published on the official website to inform all colleges of the necessary steps.