Liver was considered to be an inseparable part of the gut, when the Indian Society of Gastroenterology was formed in 1960 as a breakaway group from the Association of Physicians of India. Possibly the parent association was unable to accommodate the requirement of those who then thought that Gastroenterology had advanced to a level that justified a separate existence.

The new Society fulfilled its promise by organizing excellent academic programs year after year. Nearly a decade and half later, during the annual meeting of 1973 in the cool surrounding of Ootacamund, some gastroenterologists led by Dr. SK Sama of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and Dr. DV Datta of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, felt that liver too deserved a separate existence. Two years later, a separate liver study group was formed, along with similar groups representing other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.