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In a landmark order, the Madras High Court has cleared the path for modernizing the Tamil Nadu State Pharmacy Council (TN SPC) elections by directing that future polls be conducted through online mode.
This ruling, delivered in January 2026, marks the first instance in India where a state government has been judicially mandated to transition from traditional ballot-based voting to a digital system for a pharmacy council election. The order came in response to a petition filed by the Chennai-based The Indian Pharmacists Association (IPA).
The legal journey began in August 2022, when the IPA, led by general secretary G. Palani, approached the court to challenge the traditional offline election process. The association argued that conducting elections via paper ballots incurred massive expenses and was unnecessarily time-consuming. Although the 9th council election was originally scheduled for 2022, the ongoing litigation resulted in multiple postponements. The election was eventually held in 2025 using the existing ballot paper system, a process that spanned two months.
The High Court’s order, issued by Justice P T Asha, specifically calls for the amendment of the Tamil Nadu Pharmacy Council Rules, 1953. While the court acknowledged that the current rules do not provide for online voting, it directed the state government to finalize the necessary amendments within eight months. The court suggested that the respondents look toward the Indian Veterinary Council Rules, 1985, which were recently amended by the central government to incorporate online voting provisions, as a model for these changes.
Responding to the favourable verdict, Palani hailed the decision as a historic step for the pharmacy profession in India. He emphasized that this is the first order of its kind in the country, noting that the absence of digital voting provisions in current council rules had been a major hurdle. Palani expressed satisfaction that the court recognized the association's efforts to modernize a system that had remained largely unchanged for decades.
Echoing this sentiment, J Jayaseelan, president of the Tamil Nadu State Pharmacy Council, described the court’s decision as a ‘welcome move’. He noted that transitioning to an online format would not only drastically reduce the substantial costs and time associated with offline elections but also ensure that the process is more transparent and accessible for all registered pharmacists. Jayaseelan also extended his congratulations to the ‘The IPA’ for their persistence in pursuing this cause through the legal system.
The court's directive specifically targets the next council election cycle, which is slated for 2030. The 2025 election, conducted under Section 19(a) of the Pharmacy Act, 1948, serves as a stark contrast to the envisioned digital future. During that poll, despite over 1.13 lakh ballots being dispatched, only approximately 20,260 were returned and counted. This low participation rate highlighted the inefficiencies of the postal ballot system, further justifying the association's push for a more modern, accessible online voting platform.
This ruling is expected to set a precedent for other state pharmacy councils across India that continue to rely on manual voting methods. By successfully challenging the status quo, The Indian Pharmacists Association and the Madras High Court have established a blueprint for administrative reform in professional regulatory bodies, emphasizing transparency, cost-effectiveness, and the adoption of technology in democratic processes.
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