Non  -  Reportable  

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

Civil Appeal No.      10920        of 2018 (Arising out of S.L.P. (Civil) No.2194 of 2018)

TAMIL NADU DR.MGR MEDICAL UNIVERSITY .... Appellant

Versus

SVS EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL TRUST                             ….Respondent

J U D G M E N T

L. NAGESWARA RAO, J.

Leave granted.    

1. The request of the First Respondent for continuance of

provisional affiliation for admission of students in Bachelor

of  Homeopathy  Medicine  and  Surgery  (BHMS)  degree

course for the academic year 2016-2017 was rejected by

the  Appellant.   In  a  Writ  Petition  filed  by  the  First

Respondent  assailing  the  said  order,  the  High  Court  of

Madras  directed  the  Appellant  to  permit  the  First

Respondent to participate in the counselling for admission

to Homeopathic Colleges for the academic year 2017-2018.

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The Division Bench of the High Court of Madras upheld the

said interim order.  Hence this Appeal.  

2. The  Central  Council  for  Homeopathy,  the  Third

Respondent herein, conducted an inspection on 06.08.2013

and  recommended  for  grant  of  permission  to  the  First

Respondent  for  starting  a  Homeopathic  college  with  an

intake of 50 students.  The Government of India, Ministry of

Ayurvedic,  Yoga  and  Naturopathy,  Unani,  Siddha  and

Homeopathy  (AYUSH),  the  Second  Respondent  herein,

refused to  grant  the  permission  on  the  basis  of  its  own

assessment.   In  view of  the  deficiencies  of  the  requisite

facilities  found  in  an  inspection  conducted  later,  the

application of the First Respondent for admission to the first

batch of students to BHMS course was rejected by the Third

Respondent.  However, the Second Respondent decided to

grant  permission  to  the  First  Respondent  to  start  a  new

homeopathic  medical  college  under  Section  12  A  of  the

Homeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 (hereinafter referred

to as the ‘Act’).  On 28.09.2015, the First Respondent was

informed that it  can admit 50 students for  the academic

year  2015-2016  subject  to  the  condition  that  sufficient

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infrastructure,  hospital  facilities  and qualified teachers  in

each  department  as  per  the  relevant  regulations  were

provided  before  the  admission  of  students.    It  was

mentioned  in  the  letter  dated  28.09.2015

that  the  First  Respondent  should  comply  with  the

requirements of the Act and the relevant regulations made

thereunder for  obtaining permission to admit  students in

the academic year 2016-2017.

3. In view of the unfortunate death of three students of

BNYS  course  in  the  First  Respondent  institute  on

23.01.2016,  the  Government  of  Tamil  Nadu  directed

relocation of BHMS students also.   The First  Respondent-

College  was  closed  down  by  the  District  Collector,

Villupuram  and  students  were  adjusted  in  Government

Homeopathy Medical College, Thirumangalam.  Thereafter,

the  First  Respondent  filed  an  application  for  grant  of

provisional affiliation which was rejected by the Appellant

on 08.04.2016.  The reason for rejection was the failure on

the  part  of  the  First  Respondent  in  not  rectifying  the

deficiencies notified to the College in the inspection.   Writ

Petition  No.18510  of  2016  filed  by  the  First  Respondent

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challenging denial  of  provisional  affiliation was dismissed

by the High Court.  However, a Division Bench of the High

Court  directed  the  Appellant  to  reconsider  the  grant  of

affiliation after conducting another inspection                   in

the Writ appeal filed by the First Respondent against the

judgment in Writ Petition 18510 of 2016.

4. On  a  reconsideration  of  the  matter  the  Appellant

rejected  the  request  of  the  First  Respondent  for

continuance  of  provisional  affiliation  for  admission  of

students  to  BHMS course  for  the  year  2016-2017  by  an

order dated 08.02.2017.  The First Respondent questioned

the rejection of his request for grant of provisional affiliation

by  filing  a  Writ  Petition  in  the  High  Court  of  Madras.

Pending  disposal  of  the  Writ  Petition  filed  by  the  First

Respondent,  the  High  Court  directed  the  Appellant  to

include  the  First  Respondent  in  the  counselling  for

admission to the first year BHMS course for the year 2017-

2018.  In the Writ appeal filed against the said order, the

First  Respondent  was  directed  to  proceed  with  the

counselling and admit students for the year 2017-2018.  By

an order dated 29.01.2018 we issued notice in the SLP and

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stayed the operation of  the impugned order  of  the High

Court.             5. The Ministry of AYUSH was formed on 9th November

2014 to ensure the optimal development and propagation

of AYUSH systems of health care. The main objective of the

Ministry  of  AYUSH  is  to  upgrade  the  educational

standards of  Indian  systems  of  medicines  and

Homoeopathy Colleges in the country. Section 12 A of the

Act postulates that a Homeopathic Medical College shall be

started  only  with  the  previous  permission  of  the  Central

Government.   Permission  was  granted  in  favour  of  First

Respondent  to  start  a  Homeopathic  Medical  College  on

28.09.2015.  First Respondent could make admissions to 50

seats  for  the  academic  year  2015-2016 in  the  first  year

BHMS  course  subject  to  the  condition  that  the  requisite

infrastructure,  hospital  facilities  and qualified teachers  in

each  department  as  per  the  Central  Council  for

Homeopathic  Regulations  are  complied  with  before  the

admission of  the students.    It  was made clear  that  the

College should fulfil all the requirements of the Act before

obtaining permission for  admission to the academic year

2016-2017.  There is no doubt that the approval that was

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granted by  the  Second Respondent  was  valid  only  for  a

period of one year.  The High Court committed a serious

error in proceeding on the basis that the approval granted

for the year 2015-2016 was neither rescinded nor cancelled

and there was no necessity for the First Respondent to seek

for a fresh approval.  

6. There is a further requirement of affiliation from the

Appellant University for starting a Homeopathic College in

the State of Tamil Nadu.  The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical

University  (Affiliation  of  Homeopathic  Medical  College)

Statute,  BHMS,  MD  (Homeopathy)  prescribes  for  the

procedure  relating  to  affiliation  of  Homeopathy  Colleges

according  to  which  an  application  has  to  be  made  for

issuance of a “letter of consent of affiliation” for starting a

Homeopathy College.  According to the said Statute a letter

of consent of affiliation is granted only on fulfilment of the

conditions  mentioned  therein.    Para  12  of  the  Statute

makes it clear that the application for provisional affiliation

can be made only after obtaining letter of permission from

the  department  of  AYUSH,  Health  and  Family  Welfare  to

start a Homeopathy Medical College.    

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7. On  07.06.2013,  the  Appellant  issued  a  letter  of

consent  of  affiliation  in  the  prescribed  format.   It  was

mentioned in the said letter that the consent of affiliation

was  valid  for  a  period  of  one  year  from  the  date  of

issuance.   The First Respondent was also directed not to

admit any student till the provisional affiliation is granted

by the University to start the first BHMS degree course.   A

perusal  of  the consent of  affiliation in Form 5 which has

been filed by the First Respondent would make it clear that

the University agreed in principle to grant affiliation to the

proposed Homeopathy College and that  the consent was

subject to grant of permission by the Government of India

under Section 12 A of the Act.  

8. The request for grant of provisional affiliation made by

the  First  Respondent  was  rejected  by  an  order  dated

08.04.2016 by the Appellant.  There is a reference to an

inspection that was conducted pursuant to a letter written

by the Government of India on 28.09.2015.  It was stated in

the  letter  dated  08.04.2016  that  a  scrutiny  of  the

inspection report showed that the deficiencies pointed out

have  not  been  rectified  by  the  First  Respondent.   The

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matter  pertaining  to  grant  of  provisional  affiliation  was

reconsidered by the Appellant after a direction was issued

by  the  High  Court.   By  a  letter  dated  08.02.2017,  the

Appellant informed the First Respondent that the question

of  continuance  of  provisional  affiliation  for  the  academic

year 2016-2017 does not arise as there was no order of

provisional affiliation issued to the institute.  The request

made by the First Respondent                    for continuance

of provisional  affiliation for  admission of students for  the

academic  year  2016-2017  to  BHMS  degree  course  was

rightly rejected.   

9. The High Court held that the Appellant committed an

error in not passing any order on the application made by

the  First  Respondent  for  continuance  of  affiliation  on

03.08.2017.   As  stated  earlier,  the  application  for

continuance of  provisional  affiliation was reconsidered by

the  Appellant  University  and  a  decision  was  taken  on

08.02.2017.  During  the  pendency  of  the  Writ  Petition

wherein  the  said  decision  was  challenged,  the  Appellant

could  not  have considered yet  another  application which

was made on 03.08.2017.  The High Court erred in holding

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that  the  non-consideration  of  the  application  dated

03.08.2017 for continuance of affiliation is a default on the

part of the University.  The High Court committed a further

mistake in finding that the deficiencies pertained only to

land.   

10. It is clear from the record that the First Respondent-

University does not have the requisite approval  from the

Central Government as provided in Section 12 A of the Act.

As  the  consent  to  affiliation  was  granted  subject  to  the

approval from   the Central Government for the period of

one year,  the  request  made by the  First  Respondent  for

continuance of provisional affiliation was rightly rejected by

the Appellant.  We are in agreement with the submission

made  by  the  learned  Advocate  General  for  the  State  of

Tamil  Nadu  that  as  the  First  Respondent  did  not  have

provisional  affiliation,  there   was  no  question  of

continuance  of  the  provisional  affiliation  to  the  First

Respondent.  The First Respondent is not entitled for the

relief that was granted by the High Court for admission of

students to the first BHMS degree course for the academic

year 2017-2018 as it has neither approval from the Central

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Government nor affiliation from the Appellant.  Exercise of

jurisdiction in favour of provisional admissions during the

pendency of a Writ Petition exposes the students to the risk

of  losing  precious years  in  case of  dismissal  of  the  Writ

Petition.  Courts should desist from passing interim orders

directing  provisional  admissions  of  students.  [See:

Krishna  Priya  Ganguly  &  Ors. v.  University  of

Lucknow & Ors.1 and Union of India v. Era Educational

Trust & Anr.2].

11. While affirming the order passed in the Writ Petition,

the Division Bench referred to the submissions made by the

parties but did not express its views.  It is imminent that

points raised have to be adjudicated upon and reasons to

be recorded in support of the decision.  The Division Bench

failed to consider the submissions of the Appellant relating

to the lack of approval by the Central Government in favour

of the First Respondent without which the First Respondent

is not entitled to the relief sought for.  The Division Bench

ought  not  to  have  granted  the  relief  without  deciding

1 (1984) 1 SCC 307 2 (2000) 5 SCC 57

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whether  the  First  Respondent  had the  requisite  approval

from the Central Government to start a College.

12. For the aforementioned reasons, the order of the High

Court is set aside and the appeal is allowed.

....................................J.                                                             [S.A. BOBDE]     

               ....................................J.                       [  L. NAGESWARA RAO]

NEW DELHI;  NOVEMBER 12, 2018.

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