PIL challenges Centre’s HPV vaccination drive, seeks Supreme Court intervention over consent, safety and accountability

New Delhi: A petition has been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the manner in which the government-backed human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme is being implemented.

Alleging that it violates constitutional guarantees of informed consent, bodily autonomy, transparency, and accountability, the public interest litigation (PIL) has sought suspension of the school-based component of the HPV vaccination programme until a legally compliant informed consent protocol is established.

The PIL, filed by the Universal Health Organisation, is likely to be heard this week. "Constitutional rights and public health objectives are complementary rather than conflicting," the petition said, arguing that India's vaccination programmes should be implemented in a manner that preserves both individual rights and public trust.


The HPV vaccine is a critical tool in preventing cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in India. India officially launched a free nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme in February this year to combat cervical cancer, targeting 15-year-old girls.

The petition alleges that the programme violates the constitutional rights of parents and minor children under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution as it has been introduced without a lawful informed-consent framework, without adequate disclosure of risks and available alternatives, without a transparent adverse-event reporting mechanism and without any vaccine injury compensation scheme.

The petition also refers to the Parliamentary Standing Committee's 72nd Report of 2013, which examined alleged irregularities in an earlier HPV demonstration project conducted by PATH, arguing that similar concerns regarding informed consent must not arise in the current nationwide vaccination drive against HPV.

It has also sought the constitution of an independent expert committee to examine epidemiological data, vaccine safety, consent practices and available alternatives; the establishment of a real-time public AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) surveillance dashboard, the notification of a national vaccine injury compensation scheme; and the formulation of a comprehensive vaccine consent framework governing vaccination of minors in India.

Representatives of Universal Health Organisation said public trust in immunisation programmes is enhanced-rather than dsiminished-when transparency, informed choice and accountability are prioritised in public health policy.