HC issues notices to Maharashtra Medical Council, IMA, and State Govt over July 11 withdrawal of practitioner registration order

Mumbai, July 23, 2025

The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to the Maharashtra government. This follows a petition by Pune-based homeopath Dr. Rashi Mordi. She challenged the July 11 order from the Medical Education and Drug Department. The order halted registration of homeopaths trained in modern medicine under the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP). It also revoked an earlier directive that had allowed such registrations.

Dr. Mordi urged the High Court to strike down the July 11 directive. She called it arbitrary and unfair to qualified homeopaths who completed the CCMP program. Her petition argued that the state’s reversal violates the rights of trained practitioners. It also harms the public healthcare system, especially in rural and underserved areas. These regions often rely on CCMP trained doctors to fill the shortage of allopathic professionals.

In a significant development, Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale issued notices to key state medical bodies. These include the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), the Indian Medical Association’s Maharashtra chapter, and the Maharashtra Council of Homeopathy. The court will hear the matter on July 28.The judges asked these institutions to explain why the state halted registrations of homeopaths who had completed the CCMP course. They emphasized that the course had state approval and was meant to expand rural healthcare access.

The April 24 order had directed the MMC to create a separate registry for homeopaths who completed the CCMP certification. Acting on this, the MMC had announced plans to initiate the registration process starting June 30. However, the IMA’s Pune unit objected and wrote to the Chief Minister on July 1, citing risks to public health and patient safety. The IMA argued that allowing homeopaths to practice allopathy even with additional training posed a threat to standardized medical care.

Following the IMA’s intervention, the government swiftly revoked its earlier order and halted all CCMP-linked registrations. It also instructed the MMC to stop new entries and set up a committee to examine the impact of cross-practice approvals.

Dr. Mordi’s petition further pointed out that the state had acted under pressure from allopathic lobbies and failed to maintain regulatory consistency. It claimed the CCMP program was introduced in response to healthcare shortages in rural areas and was not meant to threaten the established allopathic framework. Moreover, she questioned the legality of suspending an order without proper stakeholder consultation or public notice.

The case highlights the long-standing friction between modern medicine practitioners and alternative medicine professionals in India. While the government has, at times, permitted limited cross-practice through bridge courses like CCMP, such initiatives often face backlash from institutional bodies representing allopathic doctors. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for future policies on integrated healthcare and practitioner regulation.

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