The injection provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11. | Photo credit: Getty Images/istockphoto
The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 10, 2026) refused to entertain a PIL raising concerns over the government’s nationwide drive to vaccinate adolescent girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) to prevent cervical cancer.
The bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohan said that in all cases of improper vaccination, normal compensation rules will apply.
“Do you want to refuse? Do you want us to comment on something?” noticed the bench.
“Don’t ask us to make harsh remarks. If the members of the petition are doctors, this is a very serious problem. This is a matter of the health of millions of our daughters. And you want to disrupt it,” the statement said.
The Supreme Court orally stated that the PIL was filed with an ulterior motive and was not in good faith.
The lawyer representing the applicant said that he only insisted on adverse events and compensation and not on HPV.
“I am not against vaccination at all. My first point is the way it is being implemented. Secondly, there is no mechanism for adverse events to occur. Whenever an adverse event occurs, it needs to be monitored. There should also be a compensation scheme,” the lawyer said.
When the high court refused to entertain the application, counsel withdrew the application and the case was dismissed as withdrawn.
The Supreme Court was hearing a World Health Organization lawsuit challenging the implementation of a government-backed HPV vaccination program.
The statement argued that it violated constitutional guarantees of informed consent, bodily autonomy, transparency and accountability.
On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a nationwide HPV vaccination drive for 14-year-old girls from Ajmer in Rajasthan.
The campaign uses the single-dose vaccine Gardasil 4, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine. The injection provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11.
Published – September 10, 2026 12:47 pm EST.