Telangana: HC directs Pharmacy Council to register B Pharma Graduates as pharmacists

Hyderabad: Granting relief, the Telangana High Court recently directed the Telangana Pharmacy Council to ensure the registration of all the petitioners, a group of B Pharm graduates, as pharmacists through verification of their certificates.

The writ petition was moved by several pharma students who argued that after completing the Intermediate (vocational) course, they were admitted to the B Pharmacy course. Upon acquiring the degree, they contended they were entitled to be registered as pharmacists under the Pharmacy Act of 1948.

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This petition was in response to a notice issued by the Pharmacy Council of India on October 4, 2011, which declared that the medical laboratory technician (MLT) program and the bridge course provided by the Board of Intermediate Education were not recognized for admission to the Diploma in Pharmacy course under Regulation 5(5) of the Education Regulations, 1991.

Challenging the notification, the petitioners approached the court seeking clarification and a solution to their problem as they claimed that they had completed B. Pharmacy courses with intermediate vocational courses and bridge courses. They also sought direction from the AP Pharmacy Council to register them as pharmacists based on the B. Pharmacy degree they obtained from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, reports TNIE.

After considering their arguments and facts, a bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti concluded that all the petitioners should be registered as pharmacists who completed their diplomas before 2020 and quashed the council's notification. 

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