The Bombay High Court on Thursday took serious note of the waterlogging at the civic-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Mumbai following heavy rainfall earlier this week and directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to urgently inspect the premises and suggest remedial measures.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan issued the direction while hearing a public interest litigation highlighting the deteriorating infrastructure at government hospitals. The court was particularly alarmed by media reports showing patients sitting in ankle-deep water inside the corridors of KEM Hospital, and water seeping into critical areas like MRI rooms.
“This is unacceptable. A hospital can’t be flooded like this,” the bench remarked. Recalling KEM’s past reputation, the judges noted, “KEM Hospital was topmost in India. People from all over used to come. See the condition now. Something has to be done. KEM management cannot allow such waterlogging. Hospital has to be hygienic. Basic cleanliness has to be there.”
The issue was brought to the court’s attention by advocate Mohit Khanna, who has been appointed as amicus curiae in the suo motu PIL initiated by the High Court in 2023 following multiple deaths at government hospitals in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts due to lack of ventilators and staff.
During Thursday’s hearing, Khanna submitted photographs and news reports documenting the extent of waterlogging at KEM Hospital in Parel during the recent downpour. He urged the court to direct immediate intervention by BMC, especially with the monsoon approaching.
Responding to the concerns, Additional Government Pleader P.P. Kakade informed the court that the flooding occurred because the hospital is located in a low-lying area. The bench, however, rejected this as an excuse and emphasized that such infrastructural deficiencies must be addressed urgently.
The High Court directed the BMC to inspect the hospital site and provide suggestions for remedial steps. It also asked the Maharashtra Health Department to detail the measures being taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
Notices were issued to both the BMC and the State Government, with the court setting June 16 as the next date of hearing. Both authorities have been directed to file affidavits outlining the corrective actions taken so far.
The case forms part of a broader judicial scrutiny initiated by the Bombay High Court into the state of public health infrastructure in Maharashtra, particularly in the wake of past incidents highlighting systemic neglect at government-run hospitals.
