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Medical Council of India v. RFDF Medical College Hospital and Research Centre & Ors.

Civil Appeal · Neutral citation not assigned (Civil Appeal No. 8681 of 2015)Decided 15 Oct 2015
Civil Appeal No. 8681 of 2015
Justice Anil R. Dave · Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel

Background

The Medical Council of India, the national regulator for medical education, challenged an interim order of the High Court. That order had allowed a private medical college to continue giving admissions to students while the college's writ petition was still pending before the High Court.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court held that the High Court should not have granted interim relief in the circumstances of the case, and that the college should not have been permitted to admit students under it. The interim relief was quashed and any admissions made under it were directed to stand cancelled. The Court asked the High Court to decide the pending writ petition on its final merits at an early date, and clarified that it was not expressing any opinion on the merits. The appeal was allowed with no order as to costs.

Lesson Learnt

Interim orders are meant to protect the situation until a final decision is made, and courts should not let them create facts on the ground, such as admissions, that effectively decide the dispute early. The final answer on the merits of the case still rests with the High Court.

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

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