# Supreme Court orders 19 states, UTs to notify cancer 2026-08-12T15:32:16+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the 19 states and Union territories that have not yet done so to declare cancer a 'notifiable disease' for early detection and better care. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant passed the order after being told that only 17 of India's 36 states and UTs have notified cancer, following a parliamentary standing committee's recommendation. The court heard a public interest litigation filed by former AIIMS professor Dr Anurag Srivastava, who argued that the absence of uniform notification violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. The bench asked the Centre why it cannot issue mandatory guidelines for all states, noting that health, while a state subject, needs a uniform policy. The court directed the remaining states to file compliance affidavits. ## Coverage - thehindu.com - health.economictimes.indiatimes.com Tags: cancer, India, notifiable disease, PIL, public health, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sc-orders-19-states-uts-to-declare-cancer-notifiable/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sc-orders-19-states-uts-to-declare-cancer-notifiable/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.