The Karnataka government is considering the formulation of a comprehensive policy and regulatory guidelines to permit living individuals to donate organs altruistically to anonymous recipients, the state informed the High Court on Monday.
The submission followed a directive issued by the court last week seeking the administration’s official stance on altruistic organ donations. Presiding over the matter, Justice Suraj Govindaraj informed Additional Government Advocate Mohammed Jaffar Shah that the state could take the requisite time to devise the framework now that it has been apprised of the issue.
The court observed that establishing a dedicated mechanism would eliminate the need for prospective donors to seek judicial intervention, thereby avoiding procedural delays in organ harvesting and ensuring eligible patients receive life-saving transplants in a timely manner.
Davangere Businessman Seeks Clearance
The proceedings stem from a petition moved by a 52-year-old businessman from Davangere district who expressed his intent to donate a kidney voluntarily to an anonymous recipient in need. The petitioner had approached the court seeking an order directing the authorization committee of a private hospital in Kengeri to clear the donation.
During earlier hearings, the bench clarified that private medical facilities are not empowered to sanction such donations, holding that the state government is the appropriate authority to decide on these cases.
The High Court directed the petitioner to appear for a health assessment before the director of the Institute of Nephrology at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru on September 8. The medical institute has been tasked with submitting a formal report following the examination.
Precedent Set By High Court
The High Court established its first precedent on living altruistic donations on November 25, 2025, when it authorized a 58-year-old doctor affiliated with a Bengaluru hospital to donate a kidney without receiving any financial compensation. The physician had petitioned the court after the chairperson of the hospital’s internal authorization committee initially turned down her request.
