Supreme Court Pulls Up Pharmacy Council For Not Adhering To Timeline For Approval & Admissions

The Supreme Court on Friday (July 3) came down heavily on the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) for repeatedly seeking extensions for the approval and admission schedule of pharmacy institutions, observing that regulatory authorities themselves were responsible for the deterioration in educational standards by failing to adhere to court-prescribed timelines.

Expressing serious dissatisfaction over the repeated deviations from the admission calendar fixed by the Supreme Court in 2012, a partial court working days bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice K Vinod Chandran questioned the regulator's motives behind the recurring delays.

“See, the problem today is... I don't know how you are running the administration. And this is not proper…And it is mostly because you are hand in glove with those private colleges.”, the bench orally remarked.

The Court noted that the schedule governing approvals and admissions had been in force since the decision in Parshavanath Charitable Trust v. All India Council for Technical Education (2012); yet, the PCI had continued to seek extensions almost every year. It further stated that despite an extension being granted last year, another miscellaneous application was filed by the PCI seeking an extension of the approval schedule for pharmacy institutions.

Observing that regulators themselves were undermining discipline in higher education, the bench remarked:

"If the government is not going to adhere to timelines, your regulatory bodies are not going to adhere to timelines, why will the private colleges adhere to timelines? So, the fall in standard in education is because the regulators are not working properly. It's the only reason."

When counsel appearing for the PCI attempted to explain that the delay was attributable to administrative reasons and the extension granted for filing Standard Inspection Format (SIF) applications until February 28, 2026, the Court remained unconvinced. Questioning why the Court should continue extending deadlines despite the time schedule of admission was known from 2012, it said:

"Why should we... give indulgence to you and why should we extend the timelines?... You know the time schedule from 2012. It's been 14 years and you know the time schedule. You must learn to adhere to it."

Further, the Court rejected the Counsel's reliance on the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, stating “See, from COVID, there is no question of a cascading effect for the next four years. COVID was over."

To avoid prejudice to students and institutions, the Court agreed to extend the schedule for the present academic year for the last time, and it made clear that the indulgence was exceptional.

Further, it directed the Pharmacy Council of India to file an affidavit within three days undertaking that it would comply with the prescribed timelines from the next academic year onwards.

The matter has been listed for further hearing next week.

Background

The present miscellaneous application was filed seeking an extension of the strict timelines for regulatory approvals, affiliation, counselling and admissions as fixed by the Supreme Court in Parshavanath Charitable Trust v. All India Council for Technical Education (2012). The Court, therein prescribed a uniform academic calendar for technical and professional education across the country. The judgment fixed strict timelines to ensure that academic sessions commence on time and to discourage delayed admissions that adversely affect educational standards.

Despite the schedule having remained in force for nearly fourteen years, regulatory bodies have repeatedly approached the Supreme Court seeking extensions. 

It was while considering this, in another application, that the Court strongly criticised the recurring requests for extensions, observing that repeated departures from the court-mandated schedule undermine the integrity of the academic calendar and place the burden of regulatory inefficiency on students and educational institutions.

Cause Title: PARSHAVANATH CHARITABLE TRUST Versus ALL INDIA COUNCIAL FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND ORS., MA 1976/2026 in MA 1409/2025 in C.A. No. 9048/2012