The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a Delhi High Court order that invalidated Vaidya Jayant Yeshwant Deopujari’s appointment as Chairperson of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), deeming him ineligible.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan issued notices to the NCISM and other respondents on Deopujari’s appeal against the June 6 Delhi High Court decision.
Grounds Of Challenge
The high court had upheld petitions by Ved Prakash Tyagi (former President of the erstwhile Central Council for Indian Medicine) and Dr. Raghunandan Sharma, finding that Deopujari lacked the “post-graduate degree” required under Section 4(2) of the NCISM Act, 2020. Although Deopujari holds a PhD from Pune University, the court ruled that the term “post-graduate degree” in this context specifically means a master’s qualification such as an MD in any discipline of the Indian System of Medicine.
Selection Process To Continue
Counsel for the NCISM informed the Delhi High Court that a fresh selection process had already begun. The high court had directed that its observations on eligibility be considered during this expedited recruitment exercise.
In its judgment, the Delhi High Court clarified that not every university-awarded degree after graduation qualifies as “post-graduate.” It noted that in Indian higher education, a post-graduate degree—MA, MSc, MD, LLM, or MEd—carries a distinct status. Since Deopujari was admitted directly into a PhD program after his BAMS, without first obtaining a master’s in Ayurveda, he did not meet the statutory threshold.
Next Hearing
With the Supreme Court’s stay in place, Deopujari remains interim chairperson as the appeal proceeds. Further hearing dates will be notified in due course.
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