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    Registration.—Every Medical Council is required to maintain a register
of medical practitioners and from time to time revise the register and
publish it in the prescribed manner. Such register is deemed to be a
public document within the meaning of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
In addition, the Acts provide for the printing and publishing of an Annual
Medical List containing names, addresses and qualifications of all persons
for the time being entered in the register and every Court shall presume
that any person whose name is entered in the latest of such lists is duly
registered.

    Disciplinary Powers.—An important function of the Medical Councils
is to deal with cases of professional misconduct. For this purpose the
Acts authorise Medical Councils to direct removal altogether or for a
specified period from the register of the name of any registered practitioner
who has been found guilty by a majority of two-thirds of the members
present and voting of infamous conduct as a result of an inquiry conducted
by the Council or a Committee thereof at which an opportunity has been
given to the medical practitioner concerned to be heard in his defence
and to appear either in person or by counsel, vakil, pleader or attorney.
The Council may similarly direct the removal from the register of the
name of a practitioner who has been convicted of any such offence as
implies a defect of character, or of a cognizable or non-bailable offence,
as defined in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, such sentence not having
been subsequently reversed or quashed.

    The Councils have power to order the restoration of the names so
removed.

    Supervision of Medical Education and Inspection of Examinations.—The
Medical Councils are empowered to call on the authorities of any uni
versity, medical college, or school included or desirous of being included
in the Schedule of registrable qualifications to:—

     (a) furnish such reports, returns or other information as the Council
may require to enable it to judge of the efficiency of the
instruction given therein in medicine, surgery and midwifery.

     (b) provide facilities to any member of the Council deputed by the
Council in this behalf to be present at the examinations held
by such university, college or school.

    The Madras, Punjab and Central Provinces Acts also provide that if the
authorities referred to above refuse to comply with any such demand the
Local Government may, upon report by the Council, remove such uni-
versity, college or school from the Schedule or refuse to include it in the
Schedule.

    In practice under the Act of 1933, the Medical Council of India has
been entrusted with the duty of inspecting the various degree examinations
and of establishing a uniform minimum standard of higher qualifications in
medicine for all provinces. The Provincial Medical Councils are, therefore,
concerned only with the regulation and inspection of examinations conducted
by the various Provincial State Medical Faculties or Medical
Examination Boards, which grant licenses diplomas or certificates in
respect of lower medical qualifications.