The Delhi High Court in the case Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA) v. Union of India and Ors observed and has moved the plea challenging the rule stating that only female candidates are eligible for B.Sc (Hons.) Nursing Course in Nursing colleges run by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi University and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
The present petition has been moved by Indian Professional Nurses Association which being a non-governmental registered body working for the welfare of nurses across the country.
The petition moved seeks the direction in order to consider bringing a fresh rule which provides that persons of all genders are eligible for admission to B.Sc.(H) nursing courses.
The court stated that denying the other genders apart from females the opportunity to study B.Sc (H) Nursing course in premier and affordable nursing colleges of the national capital is arbitrary and the same being against the principles of democracy, fairness and equality.
The plea stated that while continuing with the practice of considering only female candidates eligible for admission to B.Sc.(H) Nursing course is manifestly arbitrary and does not meet the standard of reasonable nexus to object seeks to be achieved and reasonable classification based on intelligible differentia imposed by Article 14 of the Constitution of India.
Adding to it, the court stated that the classification created only entitles female candidates to a specific B.Sc. (H) Nursing course on the basis of a rule that does not consider the present day
realities and the rule completely discards the fact that there is a dearth of nursing professionals in the country and hence prohibiting non-female candidates from getting admission to B.Sc (H) Nursing course is also against the interest of public at large.
The petition has been filed through Advocate Robin Raju and Advocate Aanchal Bumb.