Maharashtra Government Appoints 5 Members to Medical Council After 11-Year Election Gap
Maharashtra : The Maharashtra government has appointed five nominated members to the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), almost four months after elections were held for the medical regulatory body following the intervention of the Supreme Court.
According to a notification issued by the state Medical Education Department on August 14, the five newly appointed members are Dr Ajay Govind Keni from Kolhapur, Dr Rahul Kulkarni from Thane, Dr Prashant Narayan Choudhari and Dr Rajiv Yerwadekar from Pune, and Dr Chandrashekhar Gillurkar from Nagpur.
The appointments come as the council works towards becoming fully operational after years of administrative uncertainty.
Nine doctors elected in April
Nine registered medical practitioners were elected to the Maharashtra Medical Council in April this year. The elections were particularly significant as they were held after a gap of 11 years.
However, the council is still not completely functional. Four ex-officio positions remain vacant and are yet to be filled by the state government.
An elected MMC member said the council will be able to conduct internal elections for key positions, including the president and secretary, only after all the posts are filled.
Elections were caught in a legal and political dispute
The MMC election process had earlier become controversial when the Maharashtra government decided to scrap the electoral system and instead appoint members through nomination.
To implement the decision, the state had approved amendments to the Maharashtra Medical Council Act, 1965, through an ordinance.
The move, however, faced legal opposition. The Supreme Court directed the government to complete the electoral process, forcing the state to withdraw its earlier decision.
Following the court’s intervention, elections were finally conducted in April 2026, bringing an end to an 11-year wait for an elected council.
What does the Maharashtra Medical Council do?
The Maharashtra Medical Council is a statutory regulatory body established under the Maharashtra Medical Council Act, 1965. It plays an important role in regulating medical professionals across the state.
Its responsibilities include registering doctors, renewing medical registrations, recording additional qualifications, maintaining professional standards, addressing complaints and grievances, and enforcing medical ethics.
The council also has responsibilities related to medical education and continuing professional development for doctors.
Council had been under an administrator
The MMC had been functioning under a state-appointed administrator since 2022. The recent elections and appointment of government-nominated members are therefore an important step towards restoring the council’s regular functioning.
The council consists of nine elected members and nine government-appointed members. However, with four ex-officio positions still vacant, the body is yet to reach its full strength.
The latest appointments are expected to help move the council closer to becoming fully operational, although the remaining vacancies will need to be filled before its internal leadership elections can take place.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
