Kerala High Court Rejects Plea by Homeopaths to Practice Law
The Kerala High Court held that medical practitioners cannot simultaneously practice another regulated profession without surrendering their existing registration. The court rejected a plea by homeopathic doctors seeking permission to practice law while continuing as registered medical practitioners.
The observation reinforces a growing regulatory trend around professional accountability and licensing discipline. Courts are increasingly treating professional registrations not as flexible identity markers, but as legally defined responsibilities.
Supreme Court Plea Seeks 30% Quota for Women Lawyers in PSU Panels
A petition filed before the Supreme Court has sought 30 percent reservation for women lawyers in appointments relating to:
- PSU legal panels
- law officer posts
- government legal representation
The plea argues that despite growing female participation in the legal profession, representation in institutional legal positions remains disproportionately low.
The development also connects strongly with the broader national conversation around women’s representation following the Women Reservation Law debate.
Court Says Right to Privacy Does Not Fully Continue After Death
A Gujarat court recently observed that the right to privacy does not survive death in the same manner as during a person’s lifetime, while allowing legal heirs to administer the deceased person’s digital estate.
The issue involved access and administration of digital assets and online records after death.
This is part of a larger shift where courts are increasingly dealing with:
- digital inheritance
- account ownership
- online identity
- post-death data control
Questions that barely existed a decade ago are now entering active legal discussion.
Live-In Relationships Continue to Receive Judicial Attention
Legal questions around live-in relationships remained under focus during May.
A recent Himachal Pradesh High Court matter observed that courts cannot extend “judicial sanctity” to an adulterous live-in relationship involving a legally married woman.
At the same time, Indian courts have repeatedly held in earlier rulings that consensual live-in relationships between adults are not illegal and fall within the protection of personal liberty under Article 21.
The contrast highlights how courts continue to distinguish between:
- constitutional protection of adult relationships
- and disputes involving existing matrimonial obligations.
Kerala High Court Upholds Body Donation Consent
The Kerala High Court dismissed a petition seeking return of a deceased woman’s body from a government medical college after she had formally consented to body donation during her lifetime.
The court relied on provisions of the Kerala Anatomy Act, 1957, observing that the expressed intention of the deceased could not be casually overridden by objections raised later by family members.
The ruling drew attention to the legal weight attached to informed consent even after death.
Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Two Women Lawyers as High Court Judges
In April-end developments continuing into May discussions, the Supreme Court collegium recommended the elevation of advocates Liz Mathew Anthraper and A.K. Preetha as judges of the Kerala High Court.
A.K. Preetha brings nearly 29 years of legal practice experience, while Liz Mathew has appeared in several high-profile constitutional matters before the Supreme Court.
The recommendations added to ongoing discussions around representation of women within the higher judiciary.
Passive Euthanasia Framework Sees First Major Judicial Application
Legal and medical circles continued discussing the Supreme Court’s March 2026 ruling in Harish Rana v. Union of India, where the Court permitted withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment for a patient in a prolonged vegetative state.
The ruling is being viewed as the first major operational use of India’s passive euthanasia framework after earlier constitutional recognition under Article 21.
The judgment also renewed calls for a dedicated end-of-life care law in India.
AI Begins Entering Indian Legal Research Conversations
Academic and legal technology discussions in May also saw increasing attention toward AI-assisted legal systems.
A recently published research paper titled NyayaAI proposed an AI-powered Indian legal assistant using retrieval-based legal databases and multi-agent architecture for research and drafting support.
While still academic in nature, the discussion reflects how legal practice itself is beginning to interact with AI systems more directly.