HC allows NZ-trained vet to register and practice in India

The Bombay High Court has allowed Dr. Anisha Bhisey to practice veterinary medicine in India despite her unrecognized degree, citing her RCVS membership.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has directed the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) and the Maharashtra State Veterinary Council to allow a city resident to practice as a veterinary surgeon in the country, even though her degree is not recognised in India.

HC allows NZ-trained vet to register and practice in India

A division bench of justices RI Chagla and Farhan P Dubash noted that Dr Anisha Bhisey’s veterinary degree from Massey University in New Zealand was not recognised by the Indian government. However, since Bhisey also held a membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), United Kingdom, which is recognised in India, the court held that she was entitled to be registered as a vet.

Bhisey, represented by advocate Janay Jain, had approached the high court after the VCI refused to grant her the permission to practice veterinary medicine in the country. Senior advocate RV Govilkar, and advocates Rui Rodrigues and Gargi Warunjikar, representing the central government told the court that Massey University was not a recognised institution under the 1984 Indian Veterinary Council Act. They added that the four-and-half-year veterinary program at Massey was shorter than the five-and-half-year course mandated in India.

Hearing her plea, the court held that her RCVS membership, which she had obtained on the strength of her Massey University degree, entitled her to be registered as a veterinary surgeon in India. “There is no such requirement of length of the course,” the court said. “The petitioner qualifies (to practice as a vet), as apparent from the certificate issued by the RCVS,” the court held.

The court directed the national and state Registrars to grant her Certificate of Registration in four weeks. The bench also ordered that Bhisey be allowed to practice veterinary medicine in India, clarifying that “this order will operate as long as the petitioner is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).”