Qualifications for subsequent registration
Section 32 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948 deals with qualifications for subsequent registration. After the date appointed under sub-section (2) of section 30 and before the Education Regulations have, by or under section 11, taken effect in the State, [a person who has attained the age of eighteen years shall on payment of the prescribed fee] be entitled to have his name entered in the register The Act came into force on 04 Mar 1948.
(1) After the date appointed under sub-section (2) of section 30 and before the Education Regulations have, by or under section 11, taken effect in the State, 1[a person who has attained the age of eighteen years shall on payment of the prescribed fee] be entitled to have his name entered in the register if he resides or carries on the business or profession of pharmacy in the State and if he--
(a) satisfies the conditions prescribed with the prior approval of the Central Council, or where no conditions have been prescribed, the conditions entitling a person to have his name entered on the first register as set out in section 31, or
(b) is a registered pharmacist in another State, or
(c) possesses a qualification approved under section 14:
Provided that no person shall be entitled 2[under clause (a) or clause (c)] to have his name entered on the register unless he has passed a matriculation examination or an examination prescribed as being equivalent to a matriculation examination.
(2) After the Education Regulations have by or under section 11 taken effect in the State, a person shall on payment of the prescribed fee be entitled to have his name entered on the register if he has attained the age of 3[eighteen years], if he resides, or carries on the business or profession of pharmacy, in the State and if he has passed an approved examination or possesses a qualification approved under section 14 4[or is a registered pharmacist in another State].
Section 32, The Pharmacy Act, 1948 (Act 8 of 1948).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Referred to by 4
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Ranjan Sinha vs Ajay Kumar Vishwakarma
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
When a state is reorganized and a new state is formed by transferring territories from the parent state, the First Register of pharmacists prepared by the parent state under Section 30 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948 continues to be the First Register for the newly formed state to the extent it contains pharmacists whose residential addresses fall within the territories of the new state. The newly formed state cannot prepare a fresh First Register under Section 30. All subsequent registrations must comply with the Education Regulations framed by the Pharmacy Council of India under Section 10 of the Act. Sections 84 and 85 of the Bihar Reorganization Act, 2000 ensure continuity of laws from the parent state to the new state, and the First Register published by the parent state has the force of law and cannot be re-prepared by the new state.
On this section: Qualifications for subsequent registration after Education Regulations come into force; mandatory compliance with Education Regulations
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Rajendra Prasad Bagaria vs Pharmacy Council of State of Raj.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
A state pharmacy council has the authority under Section 36(1)(i) of The Pharmacy Act, 1948 to cancel a pharmacist's registration on the ground of error in enrollment, even if the registration was initially approved by the council itself, provided the council gives the registered pharmacist a reasonable opportunity of being heard. The transferee state council retains the power of scrutiny over registrations obtained from other states and can decline to accept or cancel such registrations if they do not appear to be justified or were granted on erroneous grounds. The requirement of five years of experience in the concerned state cannot be circumvented by obtaining registration in another state for a brief period and then seeking transfer.
On this section: Provides for subsequent registration including registration based on being a registered pharmacist in another state; subject to scrutiny by state council
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… Furthermore, in Shyam Babu's case (supra) the third pay commission had made a distinction between the two categories of pharmacists depending upon whether they possessed the qualifications mentioned under Sections 31 and 32 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948. No such distinction has been made by the pay commission in the present case. 64. In Deb Narayan Shyam's case (supra) it was held that the "Amins" in West Bengal could not claim parity of pay scale with the "Surveyors". The qualifications for two posts were different and the work of …
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… The petitioner, who had applied for appointment to the post of Pharmacist in the Sports general category, having the requisite qualifications and registered with Punjab State Pharmacy Council under Section 32(2) of Pharmacy Act, 1948 on 31.03.2011, whereafter, with Pharmacy Council of Union Territory, Chandigarh on 24.12.2014 and again requested for transfer of his registration to Punjab State Pharmacy Council, regarding which NOC was given on 20.10.2020 and registered therewith on the …
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… respondents in declaring the petitioner to be ineligible for the post of Pharmacist (Pharmacy Officer) on the ground that the petitioner is not registered with the Punjab State -5- CWP-1713-2021 and connected cases Pharmacy Council, but registered with the Pharmacy Council of Rajasthan as per Section 31 & 32 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948 and as such his name has been maintained in the Central Register maintained by the Central Council containing the names of all persons in the register for a State under Section 15-A of the Pharmacy Act, 1948. - ii) It is further prayed that a writ of Mandamus be issued directing the …
Questions about Section 32
What have the courts held on Section 32 of the Pharmacy Act?
Ranjan Sinha vs Ajay Kumar Vishwakarma (03 Jul 2017) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Qualifications for subsequent registration after Education Regulations come into force; mandatory compliance with Education Regulations. Another 1 judgment on this section is set out below, all of them from the Supreme Court. They run from 2012 to 2017.
How do I find court cases under Section 32 of the Pharmacy Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Pharmacy Act 1948 32, section 32 Pharmacy Act 1948, section 32 of the Pharmacy Act. People searching for it also type pharmacy act 32 2 and pharmacy act 1948 section 32. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 2 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Ranjan Sinha vs Ajay Kumar Vishwakarma (03 Jul 2017).
What should I read with Section 32 of the Pharmacy Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 11 (Application of Education Regulations to States), section 14 (Qualifications granted outside the territories to which this Act extends), section 30 (Preparation of first register), section 31 (Qualifications for entry on first register), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 4 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.
When did Section 32 of the Pharmacy Act come into force?
Section 32 of the Pharmacy Act, cited as Pharmacy Act 1948 32, came into force on 04 Mar 1948, having been enacted on 04 Mar 1948. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.