The Delhi High Court on Monday pulled up city authorities for failing to provide adequate facilities in night shelters across the capital, urging them to act sensitively and swiftly to protect the vulnerable population from the ongoing harsh winter.
A division bench led by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejasvi Karia issued notices to the Central government, Delhi government, and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), directing them to take “appropriate and adequate steps” to ensure that shelter home residents can protect themselves from the “chilling cold.”
“We expect the authorities to take appropriate and adequate steps to ensure residents of night shelters are able to save themselves from the chilling cold,” the court remarked, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
The matter came up after a separate bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla took suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting the deplorable condition of patients and their attendants forced to sleep on the streets while awaiting medical care at hospitals. That bench, citing the need for “urgent executive and judicial intervention,” referred the issue to the Chief Justice’s bench for further action.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Upadhyaya expressed concern over the condition of the shelters. “What have you done? If any one of us is required to live a night there, we don’t know what will happen. Be sensitive,” he told the counsel for the authorities.
Responding to the bench’s strong observations, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma acknowledged the gravity of the issue, calling it a “human problem which should be taken care of.”
The court has now listed the matter for further hearing on Wednesday and directed the authorities to report back with details of the measures being taken to improve the infrastructure and living conditions in night shelters, especially in light of the ongoing cold wave.
The development highlights the judiciary’s proactive role in safeguarding the rights and dignity of the urban homeless, many of whom rely on night shelters for survival during Delhi’s extreme winters.
