The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Criminal cases against seven Siddha doctors quashed

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Saturday, Nov 13, 2010
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Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Criminal cases against seven Siddha doctors quashed

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: The Madras High Court Bench here has quashed criminal cases registered against seven Siddha doctors from Tirunelveli and Dindigul districts for allegedly practising allopathy by administering injections, dispensing tablets and using blood pressure apparatus.

Allowing petitions filed by the doctors, Justice G. Rajasuria said: “The police personnel are not bound to interfere in such matters and such registration of cases are per se against law. It affects the morale of the qualified Siddha doctors and such police practice should be deprecated in unmistakable terms. If at all, there are persons who are aggrieved by the conduct of such medical practitioners, they have to petition the Tamil Nadu Siddha Medical Council or the Director of Public Health. Police interference in such matters would demoralise qualified practitioners of the Indian Systems of Medicine.”

The judge pointed out that the Health and Family Welfare Department had issued a Government Order on September 8 stating that institutionally qualified practitioners of Siddha, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani were eligible to practice modern scientific medicine including surgery based on their training and teaching.

Subsequently, the Director General of Police issued a circular requesting all Police Commissioners, Inspectors General of Police and Superintendents of Police to instruct the police officers in their cities and districts not to intervene with the practice of registered practitioners of Indian medicine.

The police officers were also asked to review the cases already booked against those who had registered with the Tamil Nadu Siddha Medical Council, Tamil Nadu Board of Indian Medicine and Tamil Nadu Homeopathy Medical Council on charges of practising allopathy.

“As such, a cumulative reading of the Government Order and the DGP's circular would amply make the point clear that the police should not interfere, either suo motu or on some complaints given by the public, with the practise of Siddha practitioners holding a B.S.M.S. degree,” the judge said.

In the present batch of cases, police stations in Sudhamalli, Kallidaikurichi and Kalakaadu, Mukoodal of Tirunelveli districts had registered cases against S. Arockia Vargheese, M. Ravindran, A. Nagarajan, G. Suresh Kanna and Porkodi. The Idaiyapatti police in Dindigul district had filed a case against A. Ganesamoorthy and S. Valli.

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