New Delhi: The Supreme Court on September 16, 2026, dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the National Medical Commission (NMC) to disclose the verification mechanism followed before a person is permitted to practise medicine.
A bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe also questioned the manner in which the petitioner was filing PILs and criticised the practice of approaching the court with petitions soon after issues appeared in news reports.
PIL Raised Issue of Fake Medical Degrees and Registrations
The petitioner, advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami, appeared before the Supreme Court and sought directions for an audit of medical regulations and the constitution of an expert committee to examine allegations concerning fake medical degrees, forged qualifications and unqualified persons practising medicine.
The petitioner later clarified that he was not pressing the larger prayers at this stage and restricted his submissions to seeking disclosure of the verification process currently followed by the NMC before permitting a person to practise as a medical professional.
The Supreme Court, however, dismissed the plea.
Court Questions Repeated Filing of PILs
During the hearing, Justice PS Narasimha questioned the petitioner over the frequency and manner of filing PILs.
The bench observed that the petitioner appeared to be filing a PIL every week and questioned whether such petitions were being filed immediately after matters appeared in news reports. The court also questioned whether publicity or popularity was a motivation behind such filings.
The court ultimately declined to entertain the petition and dismissed it.
Petitioner Invoked NMC Act and Right to Safe Medical Treatment
The PIL was filed under Article 32 of the Constitution. The petitioner argued that the right to life under Article 21 included the right to safe, competent and lawfully qualified medical treatment.
The plea referred to provisions of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, including provisions concerning the National Register of licensed medical practitioners, registration and licences to practise medicine, and the NMC’s power to frame regulations.
The petitioner contended that these provisions collectively required a system involving lawful qualification, verified registration, licensing and exclusion of unauthorised medical practice.
Petition Cited Alleged Fake Qualification Cases
The petition relied on several reported cases involving allegations of forged academic or professional qualifications and registrations.
These included an alleged recovery of fake degrees and counterfeit certificates during a raid by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force at a university in Hapur in 2025, a reported forged certificate network in Kerala, an alleged fake pharmacy registration racket in Delhi and an alleged case involving fraudulent medical registrations in Rajasthan.
The petitioner stated that these incidents were cited to highlight the need for what the plea described as a reliable, auditable and fraud-resistant verification mechanism.
The PIL did not seek a finding of criminal guilt in individual cases and stated that any verification audit or adverse action should follow due process, including notice, an opportunity of hearing, a reasoned order and availability of statutory appeal.
Plea Sought Uniform Verification Architecture
The petitioner sought a preventive direction for the creation and enforcement of a uniform verification system for medical qualifications and registrations across India.
The plea argued that verification should cover stages including initial registration, renewal, addition of qualifications and continuation of a licence to practise. It also maintained that the medical register should be genuine, verified, synchronised, auditable and publicly reliable.
The petitioner claimed that representations submitted to the Union Health Ministry and NMC on February 26, 2026, followed by a reminder on May 31, 2026, had remained unanswered.
However, the Supreme Court dismissed the PIL without granting the reliefs sought.
Important Highlights
- The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL seeking disclosure of the NMC’s medical qualification verification mechanism.
- The plea raised concerns about alleged fake medical degrees, forged qualifications and unqualified persons practising medicine.
- The case was heard by Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe on September 16, 2026.
- The petitioner sought an audit of medical regulations and a uniform, fraud-resistant verification framework.
- The bench questioned the petitioner over repeatedly filing PILs and approaching the court after issues appeared in news reports.
- The plea was ultimately dismissed and the requested directions were not granted.
