The Madurai Bench was hearing a PIL petition that sought an interim direction for the constitution of an independent, impartial, and competent committee to probe the alleged illegal organ trade.
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Following the recent illegal organ trade in Tamil Nadu, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Healthy Secretary and the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services to file a report on the action taken by the authorities.
A Division Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and G. Arul Murugan wanted to know the mechanism that would be required to prevent “organ theft” and “organ trading” in the State. The court directed the officials to file the report on August 21.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by S.N. Sathishwaran of Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram district.
The petitioner said kidney ailments had increased in the last few decades. Thanks to the advances in medical technology, kidney transplants had increased substantially across Tamil Nadu. However, illegalities were being committed, including kidney theft, in the process of kidney transplants. This created fear among the people, he said.
Mr. Sathishwaran said Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital at Perambalur and Cethar Hospital in Tiruchi were found to have committed serious medical malpractices and kidney thefts. The two hospitals, he said, were connected to political personalities belonging to the ruling DMK.
He said the scandal began unfolding when videos of workers of Pallipalayam and nearby areas in Namakkal surfaced online. The victims claimed that they were lured into selling their kidneys for ₹5 lakh-₹10 lakh. Several victims later admitted that they received much less than what was promised.
The petitioner sought an interim direction for the constitution of an independent, impartial, and competent committee, — headed by an IAS officer and comprising medical professionals — to probe the alleged illegal organ trade and submit a detailed report to the court. He also sought the transfer of the case to the CBI for a fair, impartial, and independent investigation. The court posted the matter to August 21 for further hearing.
Published – August 19, 2025 10:13 pm IST
