Supreme Court directs 19 States and UTs to declare cancer a notifiable disease

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 11 August 2026 directed 19 States and Union Territories to declare cancer a "notifiable disease" to ensure early detection and proper care of patients.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant passed the order while hearing a PIL filed by Dr. Anurag Srivastava seeking nationwide notification of cancer as a notifiable disease.

The court was told that only 17 of 36 States and UTs have so far notified cancer, despite recommendations in a parliamentary standing committee report. The bench questioned why the Centre was not issuing "some mandatory guidelines for all States/UTs" so there could be a uniform policy.

Why notification matters

Making a disease notifiable obliges doctors and institutions to report every diagnosed case to the health authorities. That reporting enables:

• surveillance — tracking how many cases occur, and where;
• early detection — connecting patients to treatment sooner;
• resource planning — directing screening and oncology services to high-burden areas.

The constitutional argument

The petition argued that continued non-notification of cancer, given its "alarming and escalating burden" in India, amounts to a grave abdication of the state's constitutional duty under Articles 14 and 21, because it denies uniform treatment to similarly situated citizens and undermines the fundamental right to health and a life of dignity.

Key takeaway

A useful exam point: the fundamental right to health is not textually listed in Part III but has been read into Article 21 through decades of case law — this order is one more instance of the court using that expanded right to direct positive state action.