The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response from the Centre on a plea for a special investigation committee tom conduct an independent probe into the allegations of corrupt practices in Indian Nursing Council (INC).

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal asked the central government to file its response by May 11 on a plea alleging that over Rs 225 crore were misappropriated at the INC by misrepresentation of the council's regulations.

The petition claimed that policies and procedure adopted by the INC for its functioning, without the Centre's knowledge, were affecting the quality and quantity of nurses in India.

The plea said that several criminal cases, including those related to graft, have been registered on allegations of irregularities and malpractices against the INC. 

INC is an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and also a national regulatory body for nurses and nursing education in the country.

The plea filed by Vijay Kumar Das and Sumitra Devi claims that policies and procedure adopted by the Council for its functioning, without the Centre's knowledge, were affecting the quality and quantity of nurses in India.

"Several illegal appointments have been made in the Council and public fund is being spent unnecessarily without following the Government Finance Rules, 2005," said the plea.