The Siddha medical graduates who are unable to vote or contest the next Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) elections in Tamil Nadu due to deletion of their names from the electoral roll, are likely to approach the Madras High Court for restoration of their voting rights, it is learnt.
The Siddha graduates argue that one-time registration is legally binding for voting rights and for becoming eligible to be a candidate in the election.
They further contend that, as per the Indian Medicine Central Council Act (IMCC Act), only one-time registration with a state council is enough for a member to become eligible for voting until the registration expires. With the removal of their names from the voting list, the Tamil Nadu Siddha Medical Council (TNSMC) is denying the rights of the registered Siddha graduates in contesting the election and supporting a candidate of their choice by voting. This decision of the TNSMC has to be questioned in the court, sources from Indian Siddha Medical Graduates Association (ISMGA) told Pharmabiz.
According to the Siddha graduates, TNSMC maintains the Register of qualified Siddha graduates registered with the Council and it contains 5,510 doctors. According to Section 3 A (1) of the IMCC Act, a graduate registered with the Council can become a candidate for the election and he has the voting rights. After all, TNSMC has not any elected member and it functions under the control of a government appointed Registrar. The state health secretary is the Chairman of the Council, who has no Siddha background.
Dr. T. Thirunarayanan, a Siddha expert and secretary of the Centre for Traditional Medicines & Research (CTMR) in Chennai, says that TNSMC has no legal right to insist the registered physicians to comply their commands because the Council has not been approved by the President of India. Tami Nadu formed the Council in 1977 to enlist the traditional practitioners in the state under Tamil Nadu Board of Indian Medicine Act. Even today the Council has only a chairman and not any elected members. So the Council could not meet so far, and no comprehensive rules and by-laws were framed yet.
TNSMC now wants the members to renew their certificates every five years and get 2D barcoded certificates and ID cards. Those who are reluctant to follow the instructions of the Council argue that once there is a valid identity card, there is no need to get additional 2D barcoded certificate. The identity card issued by the Council in 2014 was also 2D barcoded, and it tells all the details of a registered practitioner.
Dr. Thirunarayanan pointed out that, as per the Act the chairman of the Siddha medical council should be a qualified Siddha graduate.
Overall, 748 Siddha medical graduates registered with the Council have not complied the instruction of the Council expressing unwillingness, so their names have been removed from the electoral roll. Sources from ISMGA clarified that more than 4000 registered practitioners got the barcoded certificates issued by the Council.
The election to the CCIM is scheduled in the first week of January 2018. Three people have filed their nominations for contesting. Dr. V. Thamizhazhakan, associate professor of anatomy at the National Institute of Siddha, Dr. Padma Ramachandran, secretary of ISMGA and Dr. Sreeram, assistant medical officer for ISM in Kanyakumari are the siddhars already filed nominations.