Supreme Court Issues Contempt Notice To Union, States Over Implementation Of National Commission For Allied & Healthcare Professionals Act

The Supreme Court issued notice to the Union and States/Union Territories on a contempt plea alleging non-compliance with the Court's directions to implement the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order in Joint Forum of Medical Technologists of India's (JFMTI) plea alleging non-compliance with the Court's order in a connected PIL, which directed timebound implementation of the NCAHP Act.

Counsel for the petitioner argued that the NCAHP Act was passed in March 2021, but no action was taken towards its implementation. As such, the connected PIL was filed in 2023 and in August, 2024, the Court directed the Union and States to implement the Act by October 12, 2024 as well as to ensure that the institutions contemplated under it became functional. However, even in 2026, the composition of the National Commission itself has not been completed.

In this backdrop, the bench issued notice on the contempt petition, while exempting personal presence of the respondent-contemnors at this stage.

To recap, the connected PIL was filed highlighting that the NCAHP Act came into force on May 25, 2021, yet even after two years, its provisions had not been implemented. According to the petitioners, as per the initial timeline, the State Councils should have been constituted within six months. However, the Central Government repeatedly extended the timeline for its implementation and granted five such extensions due to which the Act was not implemented.

Case Title: Joint Forum Of Medical Technologists Of India (JFMTI) & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors., W.P.(C) No. 983/2023 (and connected case)