In a significant ruling, the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) has declared Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) graduates eligible for officers’ posts in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The decision comes after nearly 40 BAMS graduates were deemed ineligible for these posts and challenged their disqualification before the tribunal.
In its January 14 judgment, MAT’s chairperson Justice Mridula Bhatkar and member A.M. Kulkarni emphasized that the term “medicine” under the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011, is not restricted to modern medicine alone. “Medicine has an inherent meaning that includes all branches of medicine, both modern and traditional,” the tribunal stated, adding that restricting the term solely to modern medicine would amount to arbitrary discrimination, violating Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.
The case arose after the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) flagged applications from BAMS graduates as ineligible for the posts of Food Safety Officer and Assistant Commissioner of Food, stating they did not meet the criteria of holding a “science degree or a degree in medicine.” MAT, in its interim orders, allowed the applicants to sit for the June 2023 examination, and its final ruling has now validated their eligibility.
MAT observed that the duties of a Food Safety Officer do not solely require expertise in modern medicine and noted that the qualifications for these posts also include degrees in agriculture science, veterinary science, biochemistry, microbiology, or a master’s degree in chemistry. “Medicine must be understood in its fullest sense,” the judgment stated, further pointing out that all medical degrees in Maharashtra are awarded by the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.
As reported by timesofindia, the tribunal held the state’s approach to be incorrect and in violation of constitutional principles of equality and fairness. It emphasized that the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, refers only to a “degree in medicine,” without specifying a particular branch, and questioned why BAMS graduates should be excluded.
This landmark ruling broadens the interpretation of “medicine” and paves the way for BAMS graduates to be considered for key roles in food safety and public health.