This therapeutic system came to be practiced in India during the life time of Dr. Hahnemann, the father of Homoeopathy, when a German Physician and Geologist came to India round about 1810 for geological investigations and remained for some time in Bengal where he distributed homoeopathic medicine to the people.

After the formation of National Government on 17th February, 1948 Shri Satis Chandra Samanta, M.P. (West Bengal) moved a resolution for consideration by the constituent-Asssemby of India which run as follows -

"This Assembly is of opinion that homoeopathic system of treatment be recognized by the Indian Union and that a General Council and a State Faculty of Homoeopathic Medicine be established at once."

In moving his resolution Shri Samanta advanced the following arguments in support of his resolution namely -

1. The system of medicine known as homoeopathy had been recognized by countries like Germany, France, England and America and also by certain Provinces and States in India, such as Bengal, the United Provinces and others.





2. The system had been found to be efficacious and treatment thereunder was very cheap. it was, therefore, ideal for adoption in a poor agricultural country like India.





3. State recognition and control would ensure proper scientific training of those who might practise the system and put an end to quacks and quackery thereby remove risk to life of people treated thereunder.

An amended resolution was moved by Shri Mohan Lal Saxena, Member of Parliament (UP) in the following terms.

"In view of the fact that treatment by the system of Homoeopathy is restored to by many people, this Assembly is of the opinion that the Government should consider

1. the making of arrangements for the teaching of Homoeopathy;

2. the advisability of having Post Graduate Courses of study; and

3. the advisability of regulating the profession and arranging for the registration of practitioners in order to raise and maintain uniformity of standards."

This resolution was unanimously adopted and subsequently the Government of India appointed a Homoeopathic Enquiry Committee in 1948, and Committee submitted a report in 1949. This Committee recommended that Central Council of Homoeopathic Medicine should be established. Besides, the provincial Homoeopathic Council should also be established.

Accordingly, the Bill for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy Central Council was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 17-12-1968

A joint Committee of Parliament considered the Bill. The exponents of Homoeopathy and also the experts of the three systems of Indian Medicine, viz., Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha represented before the committee that the basic concepts of Indian Medicine were different from the fundamentals of Homoeopathy and, therefore, a separate Council of Homoeopathy was needed. For the proper growth and development of all the four systems, the Committee recommended two separate independent Central Councils, one for all the three systems of Indian Medicine and the other for Homoeopathy. The Committee amended the Bill suitably so as to make provisions for a composite Central Council for the three Indian Systems deleting references to Homoeopathy. The Committee also recommended for preparation of a separate Bill for Homoeopathy and drafted a Bill on similar lines for introduction in Parliament.

Accordingly, The Homoeopathic Central Council Bill was drafted and was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 3rd April, 1972. Shri Jagdish Prasad Mathur, Member of Parliament moved a motion in the Rajya Sabha for reference of the Bill to another Joint Committee of both the houses and adopted by the House on the same day which is resolved as under -

    "That the Bill to provide for the constitution of a Central Council of Homoeopathy and for matters connected therewith be referred to a Joint Committee of the Houses consiting of 45 members; 15 members from this House namely:

    that in order to constitute a meeting of the Joint Committee the quorum shall be one-third of the total number of members of the Joint Com mittee;

    that in other respects, the Rules of Procedure of this House relating to Select Committees shall apply with such variations and modifications as the Chairman may make;

    that the Committee shall make a report to this House by the first day of the Eighty first Session; and

    that this House recommends to the Lok Sabha that the Lok Sabha do join in the said Joint Committee and communicate to this House the names of member to be appointed by the Lok Sabha to the Joint Committee."

Subsequently following motion in Lok Sabha was passed :-

Joint Committee comprising of 45 members of both the Houses worked under the Chairmanship of Smt. Purabi MukhopadhaYaY, Member of Parliament (West Bengal).

Dr. Jugal Kishore, Advisor in Homoeopathy, Shri P.V. Hariharsankaran, Deputy Secretary and Dr. D.P. Rastogi, Research OMicer, from Ministry of Health and Family Planning; Shri M.S. Panigrahi, Deputy Secretary, Shri M.K. Jain, Under Secretary for the Secretariate, Shri P.L. Gupta, Additional Legislative Counsel, Smt. V.S. Rama Devi, Deputy Legislative Counsel were actively associated with the said Joint Committee of Parliament.

To facilitate the Committee 5 different questionaries were issued to Private Homoeopathic Practitioners, Professional Associations, Homoeopathic Institutions, State Homoeopathic Boards/Councils and the State Governments to elicit replies to the specific points contained in those questionaries.

100 of memorandum containing views, comments and suggestions and replies to questionaries from 248 individuals, professional associations, institutions, State Board/ Councils and State Governments on various provisions of the Bill were received by the Committee. The said Committee visited various Homoeopathic Medical Colleges in the country and heard the homoeopathic doctors, representatives of the concerned organisations.

On the 8th March, 1973 the Committee in its 26th Meeting considered the draft report and adopted the Bill with some amendment. In the preamble of the Bill following were included--

"a few States have constituted State Boards or Councils either by legislation or by executive orders, for the purpose of registration of practitioners in Homoeopathy as well as recognition of medical qualifications in Homoeopathy. There is, however, no Central Legislation for the regulation of practice or for minimum standards of training and conduct of examination in the system of medicine on all India basis. A Statutory Central Council on the lines of the Medical Council of India of the modern system of medicine is a prerequisite for the proper growth of development of Homoeopathy.

The main functions of the Central Council of Homoeopathy would be to evolve uniform standards of education in Homoeopathy and the registration of practitioners of Homoeopathy. The registration of practitioners on the Central Register of Homoeopathy will ensure that medicine is not practised by those who are not qualified in this system, and those who practise, observe a code of ethics in the profession. The Bill is intended to achieve these objectives".

Thereafter the Homoeopathic Central Council Bill as recommended by the Joint Committee was passed by both the houses of Parliament and was given assent to by the President of India on 17TH DECEMBER, 1973.