Delhi High Court: A Single Judge Bench comprising of Vibhu Bakhru, J. directed the Council of Architecture to register a petitioner holding a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland on it’s rolls as an architect under the Architects Act, 1972.
The main issue was whether a master’s degree is “degree” within the meaning of Entry 6 of the notification dated 21.02.1973, which provided for “degree in architecture awarded by the Universities” of certain cities in the United Kingdom to be recognisable in India. The respondent, seeking clarification, sent a letter to the HRD Ministry which reverted back stating that “degree” will include bachelors, masters or doctorate degrees.
The respondent despite the clarification, did not register the petitioner as an architect on it’s rolls stating that only a bachelors degree comes under the ambit of Entry 6. Aggrieved, the petitioner filed this petition before the Court. The Court looked into the said clarification of the HRD Ministry and the validity of the degree of the petitioner in the UK.
Finding no anomaly and in the absence of any valid reason put forward by the respondent for not enrolling the petitioner as an architect, the Court ordered immediate enrolment, allowing the writ petition. [Nirupa Puliyel v. Council of Architecture, 2017 SCC OnLine Del 9383, decided on 24.07.2017]
