High Court Karnataka High Court

Indian Medical Association … vs State Of Karnataka on 19 January, 2010

Karnataka High Court
Indian Medical Association … vs State Of Karnataka on 19 January, 2010
Author: Anand Byrareddy
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT 

DATED THIS THEi8"'DAY 01+' JANUAR;'_:'F"2{_1_iV:{'-): f  

 
THE HON'BLE MR. JUsTICE~AN,'A&D '13S{R}§§E[f;T:j3r1 /~'{.;c:t. _, 

Brah 11'iVa\~'z1i"aT' BT2_;:1c '  ' 
Near Bus   'V  *-
  
Udupi--576~?.l3.. ' _ S 
Rep_w.'-;€:_11Eed.Vb3r its' President:
D:';F*mi11fianV21b huCl'1a ,. V

  Sufi r)f"'S:ub_ba;dyacharya,
 I Aged   ...PETITIONER

V MT:.'R:.;{vip1'ztkaash, Advocate)
 AND;  

A  V1 Sum: of Ka1'na1Iai<;e.

" By its Sec,-1~eta1--y,
Department of Health and Famiiy Welfare,
§V{.S.Building.,
B;1ng;1Ere--56@()l.



§\.J

R)

The Drugs Cqmtrolier in Karnataka,
Palace Road.
Banga101"e--56U 001.

Assistant Drugs Controller,   
Mangalore Circle, 1
Balmata Road,

Kankanadi,

Ma11ga10re-S7S 002.

The National lnte'g.rxated'VM'ed§_¢':a1 A_$sociati0n,~' 

Karnataka State 1:34-ra;11cAh;--_  1
Murali Clinic, T V  "
on Mm £-:oa_;1,  % 

1 " Bah we »  {I841 
 .~;.e.n   y   $14.3 E 'rm;-1 11,

1'33} aya1p1'a_k£1$Vr;. N'a..1f_2iy:u"1, major.

; ' ~ Dr. 
 ESQn_0f Late E).r..S}.V.S:--inivasa Murthy.

P{g;%d"a,b(>ut 62 years,

3  _ "S¢V;£"§\§u:'sing Home,

 6.

V' '1 00.. feet 'R636,

Mai1d;}V%;:-571 404.

" .D&~.C.G.Rabhuvee:'a SdlT3al"[h'cE,

Son of Late Dr.C.G0pa1 R210.
Aged major, D.No.20 (Old No.35)
Sirva Park Road.

M;11iesl1\Iva:'ana.

Bangalo1'e--56() 003.

6



(By Shri.N.Devadas, Advocate. for I€'t'eisit)oii<£en<t_4;i' 
Sh1"i.B.L.Ach31'ya, Advocate for Resp<)i1det:}i;s5 to. IQ

Shri.S.B.Shahapur. Addi[i()I};;1i Gm./e'i=i11Taent--'i--t. tea.'

Respondenttd to 3,   __'_m_.u 

Shri.D.S.Hosmath_. Advocate for RVes’p<e)ndent-,,|A_l:)' '

This Writ Petitimi.ér;~fi_ie<i 'L1.;1'(:i..;_1'iA:ti&e"ie'si22(5 and 227 of the
Constitution ofrf 'mdiizi ;)1't1y'i13g….t<) 'det1:i':*eV_th_Lit the notification vide

Annex:Lire?I)t'g!,é;t'ed:ii"ft6.8}20U3 Liltra vires and quash the same
and deeiatife' {.i'}£i'i['i:Vi'i71_t:3V'.0i:(Li£i:i"-ijiI'idt3I' the originui of Annexui'e~E
pubiishetifin Ka1'i':1ziteikz1 ifigifiettie 1988 dated: 25.8.1988 No.HFW
36 PTD 79,«,_Ba..11ga!oi'e_ (hated: 20.6.1988 as illegal and ultravires
the Act and qiiash' the Raine and etc.,

This _\7\'T;'it Petition having been heard and re.~;erved on

Li i'V3.iU'!,.2'{).!_(3 'coming on for pl'()n()ili1C€-|Tl€I3[ of' orders' this day.
the' .CoLii"t (ie_iix=e'i'ed the following: ~

0 R D E R
i I*iet1:'c1 the Counsel "for the parties.

2. The facts are foliowss
The petitioner is 3 branch of the Indian Medical

A.~_;sc)c.iation, :1 Society regiéstered under the Societies Registrz’11ion

5

(3

the scope of Rule 2 tee) of the Drugs and Cosmetics ..Rt.i:Ie–si.*–i945,

ineiudes persons not registered with the Medical.Couvnciii=io’f

The petitioner therefore was constrained» to ~i_pt)i_nt:ioti_t ‘[iI3J,’.vpit1i)iiCj’

health would come to serious h£ti’ini’i_jf’ it-here wia_:< titty?Citirttt-ioi1~.t)f
the requirement of registration i\iirV–l':[ii'il'.ii1€ Medictt1'.Coi;neil of India
to enable prescription V<'it"~aiiopathic" .nied'i~i;.ine.s by non–aElopathic
practitioners. It was ttEso_V_p.'ointei_t_i t)t1t*"'theti~i..tj}1.is wouid lead to the
danger of wide

iiiloweven 're'spo:i,d'e–i1ts*-2' and 3 are said to have referred to

Nt)tit'ictttion…dated issued by the State of Karnataka to

iiC..{:2'ii'ii:§SiI§!.g. i1i,_I[h()i"iii€f;~~~~L-iiidfil' the E945 Rules. to declare that persons

i"egi'steii'edt iii' Register maintained under the KSUY Act, be

Ct:»IiStd6tT2dif;«ESi persons prttctisingg modern scientific systern of

Atnedicivt1_e:'t't.)r the purpose of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

ii –..in».th'e result. the practitioneis under the said Act were enabied to

-~pt’escribe t1ii£.)pLlIi”!it.’ medicines which vvas not only illegai but

posed £1 gl’él\2’fii danger to pttigc health.

“1

3. It is contended that under the Medical Degrees Act,

E9I6, the qualifications and degrees prescribedi.~«tt).i_¢’€:1§t1’fi’1¢ii’ Ihfi

practice of allopathic medicine mdo not include._Ay<.iii*veda, Un'e:ni,°'

Siddha and Yoga they do not belong:.t.Ol[.he:t\ie'$tern'».or__rnoderni'

system of medicine. Therefore,-.person3_ holding: i'qi.t;z1l_Vificetionsin
the said systems of medicine c;tn'1to_t -be staid-.t_o holiii degrees in

Allopathic medicine andiertej not L re{cogn'iS'ed 'as such.

it thtit.lwith introduction of Chapter IVA
and Secitionspp33{.g\'}—i:.to of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act,

E940 with rei*ei*ei'"tcie to the rule making power for Ayurveda,

Uininni Siddlta medicines, the stand of respondent nos. 2 and 3

enables practitioners under those systems of

ntetiécine to"pi'e..scribe allopathic mediciiies. is not sustainable.

A' The petitioner states that on an earlier occasion this court

ii\§\/its approztclied on the very issue of nt)n~:1EEopathic and

unqualified p1"c£C[l[i0l'1@1"S issuing prescriptions for ailopathic drugsi

K

this court observed that the authorities shuil take acti.o"n.i:'wherever

there is violation, as per order dated

petition No.34633/2000. *-

It is also pointed out
considering the scope of ()i;d.[i”1€..Dl?iEVlg_S ‘Cdsmetiics
Act. 1940 has heid t,i’i:;zt_’pefiriiiis’ requisite
qualification under not entitled to

prescribe ailti?}jat}’t;i.L:.’me:t?1icine’s. T’hViis’–.’tiiec:_i.s’i0ra is reported in AIR

i999 SC 468.

it iscentehdedyithtitgthe K£1l’Ei’dI’di(d State Government has

Cir-cuiztr daited 28.11.2()Oi whereby chemists and

‘ tireggisVts«.;ii*eViitistructed that they shuil borrow prescriptions issued

i'(.)l’i”‘iAiitiptiftfilif medicines by Ailopathic doctors as weii

p1~actitiu’:gers of Integrated System of Medicine. It is the

petiti;0ner’s grievance that by this Circular, the state. has equated

1 fxlitipathic doctors and practitioi’iei’ of Integrated Medicine.

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It is contended that this View of the State ocsy-ei~ia;’.-mien: is

contrary to the IMC Act and the Indian Medicaid”-Cent1*ai’

Act 1970. A

It is in this background t.h_;.tt theA.pei-itiionelii.$;’;ei§.:;”to
Annexure ‘ D’ dated i6.()8.2{){}3’i’i.i£hir:h by the
third respondent to thatnithose registered
with the MCI (:_0t.ild allopathic drugs.

Annexure Notification of the
State .to declare that persons possessing
C}L121iiJ[‘iC”t11ti'()’i”k$’ u’n.d:eii.ijV’tshe”-Schedule to the KSUY Act are persons

practicing iinoderns–cie’;1tii’i’ic system of medicine for the purpose of

fend_pCosnietvir_:s..«Act, 1940 and Annextire “G” » at Cil’CUiEll”

» bf,-5 _Kai’iia1taka State Goveiiinient pi’esci’ibing certain

.coiticiQitions:to.ij’be” taken to curb non–ailopathic practitioners from

p’i’e4sc1″ibin§_:j t}ii[i()p&IhiC medicines while exempting practitioners oi’

Integifuted System of Medicine.

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H}

4. Respondent nos.5 to l{) have contested theA..petition..i’Shri.

B.V. Acharya, Senior Advocate. appearing for thie-._c(>*tiii:se’l foifthe

petitioner contends that the above;”i”esponde’i.tts-I’hail/e_i.ntp’lez;1de.d

themselves the petition was tiled wgthout i1hpTE€I;1tjii1gihé”SE:il’Cl’

respondents, who would be directlsyliaffected1);”any ‘orders issued
in terms of the prayerj ‘lfr: said 1-:tespo:»1de.nts hold the Graduate
Course of Indian.iVlediciAnwc–vDeVgreeA [This was a course of

SW3)’ iHl1′<3Cltl€5C£l ziild w:as"ic()ntinued tiii about the

Year I963. 'A ' ' if

This was,a five Ac'.nid'.§i~ii'hEilf. year course. The syllabi is similar

to ,_tl'is1tZprespcribed'fo1'__.the MBBS degree. The respondents have

iV.iLivI1(wJ€¥'g0.l..1€t ,V'ap_'pt'enticeship in recognised ailopathic hospitals

pr'o_.v7iding.'E1*ea{inent in modern medicine. They are registered as

Medical 'i'i°actitioners — under the provisions of the Kamataka

".AAyLir:vedic and Unani Practitioners Registration and Medical

a _,_.Pi'actitione:*s Miscellaneous Provisions Act, l9ol. A practitioner

registered under the said Agis enabled to practice both the so-

called modern system of medicine and the Indigen()us_s-ysteni of

medicine and hence is also in a position to pt'e_s.«a__i'il§ie".£:'E'l(ip~:t_t_hi_c

medicine. It is pointed out that doctt_),:1dei’n medicine. It is also by way of explanation amplified that

‘the modern medicine means modern scientific medicine including

surgery and obstetrics. The Schedule to the Act fttrnishes details

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1?,

of qualifications to be possessed for registration as also
recognises the institutions which could confer such qua§tii_fications.

The Graduate Course of Indian Medicine (GClM_)_th_e

heading — Integrated Medicine as specified Li.i”1″Cl’t”.i”~i{:l”‘:€iSCl”it§LlL1_lc3″f'()

the Act. Under the Act. a 1’egiste1″ed. Medical’i?_racti’tioner.oxiirhti is 2

registered to practice integrated ._lVlwe_dici1ie,V_is iprivvilege’dw to'”p1’actice

both modern system t)t7.medici’i’ie-.a:; i/v»e_ll asthe. Eridian system.

The Act has received the asseiiit~i’o’f ??resi__deiit and therefore,

even ifthere”isaiiyiiinicciiigisteiicy Between the Act and the Medical
Council_Ac_t._ ‘l95$”theproy»isi_o11s under the Karnataka Act would
prevail. On the other h*2i,rio=, there is no inconsistency between the

Ka}1″_i’}ziiI’£tti§t1 Actand the two Central Eiiactments namely. the Indian

Central iéouncil Act, E970 and the Indian Medical
Section 17 of the 1970 Actin fact recognises

i’;u’icl’isavesjthif privileges conferred upon a i’egistered Medical

Pra’ct.iti’one’riiiby the State Act. Hence, it is submitted that the

V “|:)*;~~(:?EldViV€e1i€f.’S sought by the petitioner t_>L1ght not to affect the right

3

in
contemiuns putwforth by the respondents as to their privilege being

valid in law, would cause grave injustice. ‘I’here’.i,si’-h_eii1Ce no

ground made out to pass any orders as prayed–3__f0i’4

petition insofar as the ;3i’z1cti1i1.):1es”s.. Qf ir_:tegi’i-iteid ‘Sy_Srem_V (u)1″.i

Medicine. who are holders of
stated, as the existing clauseiprb*.£i»de iifiior,gideeiegire-iyirfiieaéjures
respect of any violatkgri bf “ijpractitioners
prescribing allopathic prayed for are

wh(_)i1;/’ii sL1peI*%1e()us ?l1hd_de..&r1i’)t warrant coiisiderelticin.

The petiti-Qnkzeceirdjii’g«ly’ stands disposed of.

sd./~
gudqe