Authority: High Court of Odisha at Cuttack

Order Date: 14 August 2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioners: Five nursing institutions – Bidulata College of Nursing (Khalrda, Cuttack), Regional College of Nursing (Sundargarh), Sitaram School of Nursing (Jagatsinghpur), Shanti Devi School and College of Nursing (Sundargarh), and another petition by Bidulata College of Nursing (duplicate filing).
  • Opponents: State of Odisha and other respondents.
  • Advocate for petitioners: Mr. Manoranjan Kar.
  • Government representation: Mrs. Suman Pattanayak (Additional Government Advocate) and Mr. Rajani Chandra Mohanty (Advocate for DMET).
  • Background: All institutions had applied for a No‑Objection Certificate (NOC) or renewal of NOC for the academic session 2026‑27. Their applications were rejected on the basis of deficiencies identified in the office notifications dated 27 February 2026 and 9 June 2026.
  • Prior Court Direction: Order dated 29 July 2026 in W.P.(C) No.8757/2026 directed the Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) to seek State Government clarification/approval for reconsideration of the rejected cases.
  • State Government Approval: Letter No.18434/MET dated 10 August 2026 from the Director, Medical Education & Training, Odisha, authorized DMET to reconsider the applications provided the institutions rectify the deficiencies, including submission of a fire‑safety certificate, and allowed a 15‑day period for DMET’s consideration.
  • Counsel’s Submission: Mr. Mohanty (DMET counsel) reiterated that a 15‑day window would be sufficient for DMET to reconsider once deficiencies are corrected. Petitioners’ counsel suggested a 7‑day window for rectification.

Final Outcome

  • The Court disposes of all writ petitions with the following directions:

1. Petitioning institutions must rectify all deficiencies and submit complete documents, including the fire‑safety certificate, to DMET between 17 August 2026 and 24 August 2026 (both dates inclusive, within official hours).

2. DMET shall reconsider the applications by 11 September 2026 and publish the decisions on the DMET website.

3. Institutions that did not file writ petitions but had their NOC/renewal rejected under the 27 February 2026 and 9 June 2026 notifications may also avail this reconsideration opportunity.

4. No extension of the stipulated time‑frame shall be permitted for any party.

5. Petitioning institutions must cooperate with any inspection or verification required for grant of NOC/renewal.

Topics: NOC Reconsideration, Nursing Education