Aradeep Chatterjee, who was arrested on charges of illegal medical practice and money laundering, along with his father Ashim Kumar Chatterjee, a homeopath and co-accused, was exonerated from all charges by two courts after a protracted legal battle of nine years.
A prominent figure in alternative cancer therapies and a corresponding member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Aradeep, a resident of Kolkata, was arrested in 2017 for unlawful medical practice and financial misconduct. This was followed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which led to the attachment of the Chatterjees’ savings and properties.
The legal battle began in June 2017. After years of rigorous trial, the Fast Track-I Court of Barasat and the Special ED Court of Kolkata dismissed the allegations as “groundless”.
Chatterjee’s advocates said, “All the charges were false, concocted, motivated, groundless and preposterous…The relevant orders of acquittal and discharge have attained finality…Consequently, the savings of Aradeep Chatterjee were released and returned to him along with the accrued interest.”
Reflecting on the ordeal, Aradeep said, “Despite being falsely accused, I had full faith in our judiciary. My vindication establishes that I obeyed all the laws of our land… We should not blindly accept the allegations levelled on us… let them be adjudicated by a competent court because it is only the court’s final verdict that matters and is binding on society.”
“My credibility and reputation were tarnished. I was socially isolated and suffered severe social abuse. I was at the cusp of a serious financial crisis… But I refused to concede defeat. My vindication proves that my country has a very strong and progressive constitution which safeguards our rights and never denies justice,” he added.
Aradeep now plans to focus on Psorinum Therapy, an alternative approach for treating advanced-stage cancer (Stage IV), particularly inoperable pancreatic, liver, and gallbladder cases. “This therapy can play a crucial role in managing the cancer burden of our country because it is cost-effective and does not have any notable side effects. I will continue to devote full effort towards my goal to integrate Psorinum Therapy into the mainstream oncology treatments.”