In Brief
Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences sought permission to establish a new medical college in Andhra Pradesh. The Ministry, on recommendation of the Medical Council of India, initially denied approval, but an Oversight Committee later approved the application conditionally for 2016-17. The college operated that year, but the Ministry then barred it from admitting students in 2017-18 despite the Hearing Committee acknowledging no major infrastructural deficiencies. The Supreme Court held that barring admissions without tangible justification was arbitrary abdication of statutory duty. Under Article 142, the Court allowed the college to participate in counselling and admit up to 150 meritorious students for 2017-18, while preserving regulatory oversight rights.
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