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MD. Firoz Mansuri & Ors. v. The State of Bihar & Ors.

Not available · 2026 INSC 68Decided 16 Jan 2026
Not available
Justice M.M. Sundresh · Justice Satish Chandra Sharma

Background

Bihar's Pharmacist recruitment rules required a Diploma in Pharmacy, even for candidates with higher B.Pharma/M.Pharma degrees; degree-holders argued this conflicted with central pharmacy law.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court held there was no conflict: central law only decides who can practice as a registered pharmacist, while the state retains discretion to set narrower recruitment criteria for its own posts. Diploma-specific practical training made the requirement rational, not arbitrary.

Lesson Learnt

Courts generally won't let a "higher" qualification override an employer's specifically-chosen recruitment criteria unless the rules themselves allow substitution.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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