HC seeks Centre, Delhi govt responses on plea challenging gender-based admission criteria in nursing courses

The plea states that denying all genders except females the opportunity to study B.Sc. (Hons) nursing course in premier and affordable nursing colleges of Delhi is arbitrary and against the principles of democracy, fairness and equality.

The High Court listed the matter for February 19, 2024. (File Photo)

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The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government in a plea challenging the “gender-based admission criteria” in nursing courses offered at Delhi University, AIIMS and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice on the plea moved by the Indian Professional Nurses Association asking the respondents, which includes the governments and institutions, to file their responses.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that the plea challenges the existing rule which states that only female candidates are eligible for B.Sc. (Hons) nursing courses. The plea further seeks a direction for issuance of a fresh rule to make all genders eligible for the nursing courses. The counsel had argued that there is an “acute shortage of nurses in the nursing industries”.

The High Court thereafter listed the matter for February 19, 2024.

The plea claims to highlight the concern that “even today male and third gender candidates are facing discrimination in the admission process laid out by nursing colleges that are affiliated with respondents”.

The plea states that denying all genders except females the opportunity to study B.Sc. (Hons) nursing course in premier and affordable nursing colleges of Delhi is arbitrary and against the principles of democracy, fairness and equality.

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