NCH warns against derogatory, misleading statements on registered homoeopathy practitioners
Homoeopathy regulator issues guidelines on defamatory and misleading content
New Delhi: The National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH), through its Board of Ethics and Registration in Homoeopathy (BERH), has issued a circular warning against derogatory, misleading, or unsubstantiated statements about homoeopathy and registered practitioners across various media platforms.
The directive, dated June 8, 2026, emphasises that homoeopathy is a legally recognized system of medicine under the National Commission for Homoeopathy Act, 2020, and that duly registered practitioners are authorized to practice in accordance with statutory provisions.
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According to the directive, the Commission has taken note of what it describes as “misleading and unsubstantiated statements” being circulated through print, electronic, digital, and social media platforms against homoeopathy and registered practitioners.
The circular outlines that:
1. Any communication, publication, notice, press release, social media post, website content, or government document, including FIRs, official notices, press briefings, or complaints that label duly registered Homoeopathic practitioners as "quacks" shall be misleading, defamatory, and detrimental to their professional reputation. Such characterization may violate applicable statutory provisions and the constitutional rights of registered Homoeopathic practitioners.
2. All practitioners, institutions, and stakeholders are advised to exercise due diligence while issuing public statements relating to Homoeopathy and Homoeopathic practitioners and to avoid language that may be defamatory, misleading, or prejudicial.
3. Where concerns exist regarding the conduct of any individual practitioner, such matters should be addressed through the applicable statutory, regulatory, disciplinary, or legal mechanisms rather than through generalized descriptions directed at the Homoeopathy profession or its registered practitioners.
Reiterating its stance, the Commission said it remains committed to safeguarding the dignity and lawful status of the homoeopathy profession and warned that any deliberate attempt to discredit the system or its registered practitioners would be dealt with in accordance with applicable regulations
The circular was digitally signed by Dr Harcharan Jeet Kaur, President of the Board of Ethics and Registration in Homoeopathy (BERH), National Commission for Homoeopathy.
The development has sparked debate on social media. In a post on X, TheLiverDoc criticized the directive, stating that government-linked bodies were blocking posts on social media that critique homoeopathy, calling the situation “shameful” and arguing that it protects “pseudoscience and its practitioners from scientific scrutiny.”
TheLiverDoc posted screenshots showing that one of his Instagram posts had become inaccessible to users. The notice displayed by Instagram said that access to the content had been restricted through an automated system implemented pursuant to legal requirements under India's Information Technology rules.
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