The Andhra Pradesh High Court has declined to stay the state government’s plan to establish new medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, stating that such initiatives fall within the government’s policy domain.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on Wednesday (Oct 30), the bench refused to issue interim orders to stop the ongoing tender process for the proposed PPP-based medical colleges. The court also dismissed the petitioner’s request to prevent the government from granting operational rights to private entities, while granting the state additional time to file its counter-affidavit. The matter has been adjourned for four weeks.
The PIL was filed by social activist Dr. Korra Vasundhara from Tadepalli, challenging Government Order (G.O.) No. 590, which allows private participation in setting up and managing government medical colleges and teaching hospitals across Andhra Pradesh.
Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Sriram and advocate Ashok Ram argued that introducing private players into medical education could make healthcare and education less affordable and accessible. They urged the court to suspend the tender process until the policy’s legality was thoroughly reviewed.
However, the High Court observed that decisions regarding educational infrastructure and partnerships are primarily administrative choices, and judicial interference is limited unless a policy is found to contravene the law or the Constitution.
“The court cannot interfere in policy decisions unless they violate statutory provisions or constitutional principles,” the bench noted, emphasizing that assessing the overall impact of the PPP model would require a comprehensive review rather than premature intervention.
