HC asks DNC, Delhi govt to respond to plea for nurses voting rights to elect office bearers

The Delhi High Court Monday sought the response of the AAP government and Delhi Nursing Council (DNC) on a plea seeking voting rights for all the nurses registered with the DNC for electing their office bearers and executive committee.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice and asked the authorities to file their replies while listing the matter for further hearing on December 13.

The petition by NGO, Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA), said there was a dire need to bring suitable amendments in the Delhi Nursing Council Act, 1997, so that the existing alleged arbitrary and non-democratic process of nominating members to the council comes to an end.

Advocate Robin Raju, appearing for the association, sought direction to the authorities to publish the annual income and expenditure of the council on its website and said there should be democracy in the functioning of the council.

Alleging that there is a lack of financial transparency in the functioning of the DNC, the plea said that around 90,000 nurses registered with the council have no right to elect the representatives of a body that has been constituted to work for their welfare.

“We are talking about the COVID warriors and frontline workers. Nurses form the backbone of the medical sector,” the counsel said.

He pointed out that in all the organisations formed for the welfare of professionals, be it doctors or advocates or chartered accountants, voting powers are given to the members in their respective organisations.

The DNC is a statutory body constituted under the Delhi Nursing Council Act and the body is supervised by the Delhi government’s Department of Health.