The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and all states and Union Territories on a petition claiming that family planning scheme’s key component, sterilisation programme, has become a “failure” in the country with most of the operations proving unsuccessful or health hazards.

While issuing notices, a bench comprising Justices R.M. Lodha and H.L. Gokhale sought reply affidavits form the Union and the state governments within eight weeks to a PIL filed by Devika Biswas on the issue.