A registered homoeopathic doctor closed her clinic to pursue a law degree. After clearing the bar exam, she applied to enrol as an advocate, but her application was deferred. The regulator, Bar Council, insisted she first cancel her active medical registration.
She challenged this before the High Court, arguing that no law explicitly required her to cancel her registration. The High Court disagreed, ruling that both professions demand undivided commitment to ensure high standards. Because she remained on the active list, she was legally deemed to be practising medicine, meaning she could not truthfully sign the mandatory declaration to practice law.
The court dismissed her appeal, holding that she must cancel her medical registration before practicing law. It reassured her that she could easily re-register as a doctor later if she returned to medicine.
MedLegal Safety Insights
Law and medicine are two of the oldest professions known to mankind. Both have their regulatory bodies that register them, grant them the privilege to practise and represent themselves as lawyers and doctors before the public, and punish them for professional indiscipline.
Both are entrusted with their clients’ and patients’ lives. Any mistake made by either professional causes problems for their clients. Both need undiluted attention, diligence, commitment, and the highest level of integrity.
Source
Order pronounced by Kerala High Court on 17th June, 2026.
