Delhi High Court gives Centre two months to act on nursing body’s plea
An RTI response from the Centre on July 7, 2026 stated that the NNMC has not been constituted and that no appointment or recruitment had been made
The Union Government received a two-month deadline from the Delhi High Court on August 17, 2026, to address a nursing association's plea demanding action on its National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) Act, 2023. Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma noted that failure to act would allow the Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA) to re-file the petition.
The request was made by IPNA, represented by advocate Robin Raju, challenging the delay in forming the NNMC and implementing the Act. The association also sought updates on appointing the Commission's office-bearers and board members. The NNMC Act replaced a 77-year-old Indian Nursing Council Act and aimed to establish a modern system for nursing and midwifery education regulation.
The Act was signed by the President in August 2023, with the Centre making it effective on February 29, 2024, and inviting Commission applications on March 14, 2024. However, the Commission had not been formed, according to the petition. An RTI response from the Centre on July 7, 2026, also confirmed the Commission's non-formation and lack of appointments or recruitment.
IPNA argued that the delay, particularly significant given that other healthcare professions had regulatory commissions, was arbitrary and discriminatory, impacting nursing education, professional standards, and citizens' right to health. The association had previously criticized the existing Indian Nursing Council's ineffective Registration and Tracking System, lack of grievance redressal, and inadequate enforcement against nursing institutions.
IPNA had also written to the Union Health Minister on July 20, 2026, seeking immediate NNMC Act implementation without receiving a response.
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