Delhi HC Quashed New AIIMS Admission Standards Calling them "unreasonable"; Read Details Here

New Delhi: Delhi HC has overturned an amendment made by the India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in April of this year that barred candidates who earned their B.Sc. (Post Basic) degree through distance learning from pursuing an M.Sc. (Nursing) degree.

According to Justice Sanjeev Narula, AIIMS had "unreasonably and arbitrarily" excluded specific candidates solely based on their mode of learning, especially given the paucity of data demonstrating that education received through distance learning is inferior to or any less reliable than that received in traditional classroom environment.

The High Court's ruling was based on a petition filed by a group of in-service nursing officers at the AIIMS who used distance learning to earn their B.Sc. (Post Basic) degree from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in order to advance and upgrade their formal education.

The nursing officers sought to apply for the M.Sc. (Nursing) course being offered by AIIMS itself in order to further advance and enhance their professional careers. The AIIMS did, however, issue a new notification on April 29, 2022, excluding those with distance learning degrees from the eligibility requirements for the M. Sc. (Nursing) course.

In response, the AIIMS informed the court that it has the authority to establish courses and curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate studies because it is obliged to uphold high standards of medical education in India.

Further, the institute stated that degrees earned through distance learning cannot be compared to the degrees earned via the regular educational system, which calls for rigorous hands-on physical training. It argued that an online degree couldn't take the place of degree earned in the traditional classroom settings.

However, Justice Narula ruled that the AIIMS had not provided any documentation establishing a "rational or scientific basis" for such disqualification and that there was no basis for comparing online mode as inferior to regular classroom mode of teaching.

Justice Narula stated that an individual fails to comprehend how a certification recognised for employment in the nursing cadre by AIIMS itself has been denied for completing an academic course due to the lack of practical training.

The High Court observed that as long as the restriction is not discriminatory, the AIIMS may specify eligibility requirements and set the bar for admission to courses.

However, the High Court ruled that AIIMS could not undermine the consistency of standards set by the INC (Indian Nursing Council), which is operating under a central piece of legislation, and nullify or limit recognition of the IGNOU B.Sc. (Post Basic) degree in the process of determining admission criteria.

The impugned condition in the impugned notice and prospectus is arbitrary insofar as it prevents eligible candidates from pursuing higher studies by making an unreasonable classification between persons obtaining the same degree through traditional teaching mode and distant learning, and are thus, quashed, the Delhi HC noted.

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