A quack, who was practising in the Nand Nagri area New Delhi without any requisite medical qualifications, has been sentenced to six months of imprisonment, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) said on April 6.

A local court passed the order on April 5 and also asked Soumen Mukhopadhya to pay a compensation of Rs 40,000 to the council, the DMC said. "Mukhopadhya was practising at Nand Nagri without possessing requisite medical qualifications. In 2007, his clinic was inspected by CDMO North East district team and found him to be practising allopathic system of medicine while claiming to have an MD (AM) in Ayurvedic system of medicine and electrohomeopathy," the DMC said in a statement.

He was served a show-cause notice and asked to appear before the anti-quackery committee of the DMC on October 11, 2007, DMC Registrar Dr Girish Tyagi said. "He appeared before the committee and admitted to practising allopathy," it said. In 2007, a closure order was issued wherein he was directed to stop practising allopathy and to close down the clinic, the statement added.

"When his clinic was again inspected by CDMO (NE) team, it was found to be functioning," the DMC said. Thereafter, a case was filed in the court and an FIR registered. On April 5, the court passed the order in the case, sentencing Mukhopadhyay to "rigorous imprisonment for six months for offence under section 27 of the DMC Act". He was also asked to pay a compensation of Rs 40,000 to the DMC, it added. "In default of payment of compensation, the convict shall undergo further simple imprisonment for three months," the statement said.