#public office

Bombay HC Aurangabad Bench ruled that under Section 15 of the Maharashtra Nurses Act, 1966, only the Maharashtra Nursing Council-not the State-holds authority to appoint its Registrar and Deputy Registrar. The court quashed the State’s appointments, reinforcing statutory autonomy of professional councils in public office appointments.

The Punjab & Haryana High Court reiterated that a writ of quo warranto can only be issued if a public officeholder lacks constitutional or statutory eligibility, not merely on grounds of misconduct or corruption. The ruling clarifies that allegations of impropriety alone cannot dislodge an officeholder unless essential qualifications are absent, reinforcing the narrow scope of quo warranto proceedings.