The central health and medical laws of India run from the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 to the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 — the regulatory spine behind medicines, food, organ transplantation and the rights of patients.
Health is a state subject in delivery, but the framework statutes are central: the Drugs and Cosmetics Act controls every medicine sold in India, the Food Safety and Standards Act created the FSSAI, and the organ-transplantation and diagnostic-techniques statutes police their fields. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 marked a rights-based turn, and the 1897 Epidemic Diseases Act returned to prominence through the pandemic.
This page lists the principal central statutes, what each covers, and links to authoritative texts. All acts here are central laws enacted by Parliament — state-enacted laws are covered separately.
Contents
Medicines, Food and Transplants
| Act | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940) | Regulation of the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs and cosmetics; the Drugs Controller and drug standards. |
| Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006) | The FSSAI and India’s consolidated food law — licensing, safety standards, labelling and recall. |
| Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (10 of 2017) | Rights of persons with mental illness, advance directives and Mental Health Review Boards; decriminalised attempted suicide. It replaced the Mental Health Act, 1987. |
| Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (42 of 1994) | Removal, storage and transplantation of human organs and tissues, brain-death certification and the punishment for trading in organs. Key amendment: Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act, 2011. |
Patients and Public Health
| Act | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 (57 of 1994) | Prohibition of sex selection and the regulation of ultrasound and other pre-natal diagnostic clinics. |
| Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 (3 of 1897) | The short colonial statute for epidemic control, relied on through COVID-19 — amended in 2020 to protect health workers from violence. |
| Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 (23 of 2010) | Registration and minimum standards for clinical establishments, in force in the states that have adopted it. |
For medical negligence claims, see our central criminal laws library; for workplace injury compensation, the labour and industrial laws library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who regulates medicines in India?
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, with state drug controllers for manufacture and sale within each state.
Can a healthy person donate a kidney?
Yes — to a near relative under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act; donation to a non-relative requires the authorisation committee’s approval, and any commercial dealing is a criminal offence.
Is food adulteration a criminal offence?
The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 carries its own penalties and prosecutions, enforced through the FSSAI and state food safety departments.
This page is a general library guide published for the Knowledge Centre and is not legal advice. For advice on a specific matter, please contact the firm.