Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 5: Vacation Judge of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Justice Rahul Bharti has directed Chief Medical Officer, Jammu to issue provisional registration in favour of the petitioners for the purpose of enabling them to carry on with their existing dental clinics.
This significant order has been passed by the High Court after hearing Advocate FA Natnoo who submitted before the court that the status of the petitioners as dentist is by virtue of their recognition as provided under Section 33(b) of the Dentists Act, 1948 which entitles a person who have his or her name entered in the register with respect to the profession of dentistry in the State if he holds a recognized dental qualification or without such dental qualification but having engaged himself or herself in the practice as a Dentist as his/her principal means of livelihood for a period of not less than five years prior to the prescribed date under Section 32.
“The petitioners are recognized as dentist under this Sub Clause (b) of Section 33 as is born out from the individual registration certificates placed on record. By virtue of their profession as being dentist, the petitioners are running respective dental clinics for quite long now”, the counsel for the petitioner submitted.
A Communication No. DRA/CERR/CMO-J/2022/493-94 dated 17.11.2022 of the Convener District Registering Authority CE(R&R) Act acting under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 states that for a person to run a dental clinic possession of a recognized qualification i.e. graduation as per Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 is required, the counsel for the petitioners submitted, adding by virtue of this communication the well established dental clinics of the petitioners have come to suffer prospect of closure as the renewal of their certificate may not take place.
“The situation as imported in terms of the communication is contrary to the provisions of the Dentists Act, 1948 which recognizes a person with a recognized dental qualification and also a person with experience/practice of not less than five years to be entitled to carry on the profession of dentistry in the State now the UT of Jammu and Kashmir”, he added.
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