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The Madras High Court, on Friday (August 29, 2025), directed the Tamil Nadu Health Secretary to conduct an inquiry regarding the alleged involvement of Perambalur-based Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital in the illegal kidney sale racket reported in the State.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh issued the direction pursuant to two writ petitions filed by the private medical college, challenging an August 10 press release as well as a consequent order passed on August 18 for cancelling its kidney transplant licence.
The judge said a clear picture on the issue would emerge only if the Heath Secretary conducts a detailed inquiry, by affording an opportunity of hearing to all necessary parties, including the petitioner institution, and submits a report before the court by October 6.
He also recorded the submission of advocate Abishek Jenasenan, representing the petitioner college, that his client would not conduct any renal transplant surgery until the disposal of the two writ petitions after the inquiry report by the Health Secretary is filed.
On his part, Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ravindran told the court there was no bar for the petitioner hospital to perform dialysis but its patients wanting to undergo renal transplant would have to find some other authorised hospital for the procedure.
Explaining the background of the issue, Mr. Jenasenan said, a Tamil television news channel had telecast news about alleged illegal kidney sale racket by interviewing a few individuals who had reportedly donated their kidneys and those individuals had named a couple of private hospitals.
Since it was reported the racket had taken place with the knowledge of the petitioner hospital, the institution immediately filed a defamation suit against the television channel and obtained an interim injunction against defaming the institution but for reporting the facts of the case.
In the meantime, the State officials intiailly suspended the renal transplant licence of the petitioner hospital and then ended up cancelling the licence on the basis of the report of a committee constituted by the Health department to inquire into the illegal kidney sale racket.
The government had issued a press release on August 10 stating it had decided to cancel the licence and followed it up with an order passed by the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) on August 18. Hence, the petitioner had challenged both the press release and the cancellation order.
Mr. Jenasenan wondered how the DMS could cancel the licence when an appeal preferred against the suspension order was still pending with the government.
Published – August 29, 2025 01:05 pm IST
