Overview
- A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice on the petition and listed the matter for February 3, 2026.
- The court directed that no coercive steps be taken against the petitioners until the next hearing and asked them to continue obtaining permanent registration under Section 19.
- The Centre was permitted to be impleaded, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested to assist the court.
- The petition by the Kerala Private Hospitals Association and Hussain Koya Thangal challenges Sections 16, 39 and 47 of the Kerala Clinical Establishments Act and the related Rules.
- The plea contests obligations to display undefined 'fee rate' and 'package rate', uniform emergency-duty requirements across facilities, and granular staff-data disclosures, while the Kerala High Court had upheld the law and ordered public display norms and grievance mechanisms.