HC notice to Centre, MCI on plea against nomination of members

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court today ordered a notice to the central government, the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and others on a plea seeking to reconsider the nomination of 42 persons as members of the CCIM, the Medical Council of India and the Central Council of Homeopathy.
When the PIL came up before them for hearing, Justices M Jaichandran and Justice R Mahadevan ordered notice returnable within two weeks to the Union Health Secretary, the Secretary to the Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and the MCI among others.
The 42 members were nominated by the government through notifications on February 28,2014, on March 3, 2014 and November 11,2013.

Contending that there was corruption and irregularity and extraneous considerations in matter of nomination of members of the CCIM, the CCH and the MCI, the petitioner Muralidharan of Thanjavur also sought to restrain the 42 members from discharging their functions till the disposal of the petition.
The petitioner submitted that the high court had already questioned the mode of appointing members to the CCIM and asked the government to review the appointment of one Dr.Vanitha Muralikumar for the CCIM.
The central government appointed 30 per cent of members. There was no guideline to assess the special knowledge or practical experience of a person. It could consider any person as one with special knowledge and practical experience and nominate him or her in the council. This was nothing but an arbitrary power left to the whims and fancies of the individuals, the pettitioner charged.