By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 3 Sep: The Uttarakhand High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the Mussoorie Nagar Palika Parishad’s resolution concerning the proposed provincialisation of MPG College, dealing a setback to the attempt to legally challenge the municipal board’s move.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay heard the matter in Anuj Gupta vs State of Uttarakhand and Others, Writ Petition No. 630/2026 (M/B). The petition was dismissed by the court, bringing relief to the Mussoorie municipal board, which had passed the resolution as part of the initiative towards the provincialisation of the city’s prominent educational institution.
According to a press note issued by the Nagar Palika, petitioner Anuj Gupta had challenged the municipal board’s resolution related to the provincialisation of MPG College. During the hearing, however, the petitioner’s counsel conceded that the petitioner did not have the requisite legal standing to challenge the municipal resolution.
Following the submission, the petitioner’s counsel requested that the petition not be pressed further. The Division Bench subsequently dismissed the writ petition on September 2, 2026, and also disposed of all pending applications connected with the matter.
The proposed provincialisation of MPG College has been a subject of discussion at the local level for some time. The Nagar Palika has maintained that provincialisation could provide greater institutional stability, improved academic resources and better facilities for students.
With this objective, the municipal board had passed a resolution to initiate the process. However, the move has faced opposition and legal challenges at different stages.
Mussoorie Nagar Palika Chairperson Meera Saklani said that some people were repeatedly attempting to create hurdles in the provincialisation process due to their personal interests. She said such attempts could adversely affect the future of the college and the interests of students.
Following the High Court order, the Nagar Palika has termed the dismissal a significant relief in the matter. The municipal administration said the initiative for provincialisation was taken keeping in mind the academic interests of MPG College and the future of its students.
The municipality maintained that unnecessary legal or other obstacles should not be allowed to derail decisions taken in the larger public and educational interest. It expressed hope that the process would now move forward with fewer legal hurdles.
At the same time, the legal position of the order remains significant. The petition was dismissed after the petitioner’s counsel stated that it would not be pressed, following the concession regarding lack of locus standi. Therefore, the order should be viewed as the dismissal of the particular petition challenging the municipal resolution and not as a final judicial approval or completion of the provincialisation of MPG College.
The next focus will now be on the further administrative and government-level steps concerning the provincialisation proposal and the pace at which the process moves forward.
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