The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 11, 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 after it was informed that 17 of the 36 States and UTs have so far notified cancer as a notifiable disease in light of the recommendations made in a parliamentary standing committee report.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Dr. Anurag Srivastava, through advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, seeking a direction to declare cancer a notifiable disease nationwide to ensure early detection and proper care of patients.

The Bench further questioned the Centre as to why it was not issuing “some mandatory guidelines for all States/UTs,” saying there should be a uniform policy.

The petition stated that continued non-notification of cancer, despite its alarming and escalating burden in India, amounted to a grave abdication of the state’s constitutional duty under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, as it denied uniform treatment to similarly-situated citizens and undermined their fundamental right to health and a life of dignity.