Madras HC Orders SIT Probe Into Kidney Trafficking Racket in Tamil Nadu

The Madras High Court has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into the illegal sale of kidneys in Namakkal district and other parts of Tamil Nadu, while recording its displeasure over the State’s “casual approach” in addressing the grave issue of organ trafficking.

A division bcomprising Justices S. M. Subramaniam and G. Arul Murugan directed that the SIT be headed by Inspector General of Police (South Zone) Prem Anand Sinha, with four senior police officers drawn from different districts as members. The bench ordered the team to file its first progress report by September 24. The Director General of Police and the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services were asked to extend full cooperation to the SIT.

The SIT will also include N. S. Nisha, Superintendent of Police, Nilgiris; N. Silambarasan, Superintendent of Police, Tirunelveli; K. Karthikeyan, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore; and B. K. Arvind, Superintendent of Police, Madurai.

Court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by S.N. Sathishwaran which sought judicial intervention after reports surfaced that economically disadvantaged workers in Pallipalayam and adjoining areas were lured into selling their kidneys. The petitioner sought 

According to a preliminary inquiry conducted by Health Systems Project Director S. Vineeth, brokers had promised amounts ranging between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh but paid the donors substantially less.

Acting on the inquiry’s findings, the State had suspended the transplant licences of two private hospitals namely Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital in Perambalur and Cethar Hospital in Tiruchi on allegations of irregularities, including reliance on unrelated donors and the use of forged documents.

The Director of Medical and Rural Health Services, in a report submitted to the court on August 22, informed that recommendations had been made for registering FIRs against brokers and for initiating disciplinary proceedings against officials of district-level authorisation committees. She also detailed the government’s plan to strengthen monitoring mechanisms and create awareness against the sale of human organs.

Court, however, noted that such measures must not remain on paper and emphasised that the investigation must be pursued with urgency, given the vulnerability of the victims and the potential scale of the racket.

The SIT has been ordered to examine the role of middlemen, verifying the compliance of hospitals with the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, and ensuring accountability at every level of the regulatory framework.

The matter has been posted for further hearing on September 24.

Case Title: SN Sathishwaran vs. The Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu And 13 Others

Order Date: August 25, 2025

Bench: Justices S. M. Subramaniam and G. Arul Murugan