Currently there is a controversy of dual control of Pharmacy education in India. This controversy is only with respect to education, not in the practice of Pharmacy or governance of profession of pharmacy. Now Pharmacy colleges have to take approval form both All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) by paying separate fees. AICTE came into existence in India on 30th November 1945 based on a resolution passed by the Government of India, and PCI in March 1948, based on the Pharmacy Act 1948 framed by the British during pre-independence period. In 1987 AICTE Act was passed by the Indian parliament (Rajya Sabha on 26th November and Lok Sabha on 15th December) as Act 52 of 1987 and since then AICTE also became a statutory body. In 1995 the Punjab Haryana High Court at Chandigarh, in 2002 the Madras High Court and in 2016 the Gujarat High Court at Ahmadabad ordered that Pharmacy education is under the absolute control of AICTE and PCI has to focus on regulating the practice of profession of pharmacy. Madras High Court in 2002 ordered ” provisions of Section 10 to 15 of the Pharmacy Act shall be deemed to be inoperative in so far they relate to admission of students, syllabi, course of study and the examination and for that matter the approval of pharmacy course. Consequently the provisions of AICTE Act alone shall regulate and control the colleges in matter of laying down norms and standards for courses in pharmacy”. After this verdict PCI made Education Regulations for Pharm.D, B.Pharm and M.Pharm which have no legal validity. This paper critically analyses the present legal and professional position of Pharmacy education in India in relation to the AICTE and PCI based on the legal and professional aspects.
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2022: 6.012
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