Professional Ethics

Professional ethics are a set of norms or codes of conduct, set by people in a specific profession.  A code of ethics is developed for each profession. Suppose you write articles in a newspaper. Professional ethics require that you verify facts before you write that article, isn’t it? Simply put, professional ethics for lawyers in India lay down a set of guidelines, which defines their conduct in the profession that is highly competitive and dynamic. Indian law requires lawyers to observe professional ethics to uphold the dignity of the profession.

The wise judge and King, Solomon, is known to have found unique ways to decide disputes that came before him. He had a knack of getting parties to a dispute to reveal their true colors without them being aware of it and he used this method to determine the truth. There is a popular story of how King Solomon was approached by two women, who were claiming right over a baby. After hearing both the women, King Solomon ordered that the baby should be cut into two pieces and both of them shall receive amn equal share.  While one woman agreed to it, the other said she would give the baby away. The King understood that the latter was indeed the real mother of the baby. After all, a mother would rather give away her baby than let any harm happen.

Ask anyone who is about to undergo a medical surgery. The person will tell you that just thinking about it is quite frightening in itself. While undergoing a surgery, the greatest concern is that you may face a risk of being operated incorrectly. Worse, there can be a risk of surgical tools being left inside your body. No, this isn’t an exaggeration but something that happens in real life. In case you are being operated under emergency conditions or you are over weight, the risk of such a disaster increases even more.

What is one thing that is common about this list of great men apart from the fact that all of them spent their lives fighting for our freedom?

Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan was born on 12^th May, 1945 at Thalayolaparambu, near Vaikom. Born in a poor family, he rose to occupy the country’s highest position in the judiciary, as the 37^th Chief Justice of India. In June 2007, he was sworn in as the Chief Justice of India by President APJ Abdul Kalam.

The conventional perception about doctors has been that they are life savers, giving us hope when there is none left, saving the lives of loved ones and healing them with their knowledge and professional expertise. What happens when your doctor jeopardizes the life of a patient due to negligence, or any such reason?