Hyderabad | August 6, 2025 — In the wake of the recently exposed baby-selling racket linked to the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre in Secunderabad, the Telangana government has constituted a high-level committee to investigate potential violations of legal and ethical norms at private IVF clinics and fertility centres across the state.
The move, formalised through a Government Order (GO) issued on August 2 by Health Secretary Christina Z. Chongthu, comes amid serious concerns that many private fertility clinics have been operating in violation of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021. Reported breaches include unregistered operations, irregularities in gamete donation, embryo transfers, and surrogacy arrangements.
The committee has been given a 10-day deadline to submit a comprehensive report of its findings and recommendations. It is empowered to summon officials, experts, and stakeholders to provide testimony or relevant documentation.
The panel will be led by the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare, and will include the CEO of the Rajiv Aarogyasri Health Care Trust (RAHCT) and the Director of Medical Education (DME). Its primary mandate is to conduct thorough inspections of all private IVF and fertility centres in the state to ensure compliance with statutory, clinical, and ethical guidelines.
This initiative follows reports that Dr. A. Namratha, the main accused in the baby-selling racket, allegedly used the medical license of a 94-year-old retired doctor to continue operating after the clinic’s registration was cancelled in a previous case. Investigations revealed the clinic misled couples seeking IVF or surrogacy, in some cases handing over babies that were not biologically related to them, accompanied by falsified birth certificates.
The committee will examine:
- Registration status and legal compliance of fertility clinics
- Patient consent procedures and documentation practices
- Sources of gametes and embryos, and the transparency of their use
- Surrogacy contracts and protection of surrogate mothers’ rights
- Previous complaints, FIRs, and official actions against clinics
- Roles and potential lapses by public officials, regulatory bodies, and the Telangana Medical Council
- Adequacy of current laws and recommendations for stronger safeguards
The state government’s proactive stance is seen as a crucial step toward restoring trust in reproductive healthcare services, ensuring accountability, and protecting vulnerable patients from exploitation.
The Health Department has also promised that strict action will follow based on the committee’s findings, which may include penalties, license cancellations, and legal proceedings against errant clinics and personnel.
