The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the state government and local authorities over their “insensitive” handling of the contaminated water crisis in Indore’s Bhagirathpura locality, which has led to multiple deaths and hundreds of illness cases. The court directed the state’s Chief Secretary to appear via video conference on January 15.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi was hearing multiple petitions related to the incident. The matter was flagged by several petitioners, including High Court Bar Association president Ritesh Inani, who informed reporters about the court’s strong observations.
“The High Court termed the response submitted by the state and district administration as ‘insensitive’ and remarked that the episode had shaken public trust while tarnishing Indore’s image at the national level,” Inani said. He added that the court expressed deep concern that such a failure occurred in a city that has consistently topped the Union government’s cleanliness rankings.
The bench also took serious note of the status reports filed by the Indore Municipal Corporation and the district administration, especially concerning the number of fatalities. Describing the situation as “extremely grave”, the court indicated that it would examine whether the incident entails criminal liability or civil liability.
According to government officials, at least 38 new cases of vomiting and diarrhoea were reported on Monday from the Bhagirathpura primary health centre. The death toll has reportedly climbed to seven. Of the affected, six patients have been referred for advanced treatment, while 110 others are currently hospitalised — 15 of them in intensive care units.
The High Court has asked the state’s Chief Secretary to provide a detailed response and attend the next hearing on January 15 via video conferencing.
The court’s intervention comes amid mounting public outcry over the administration’s failure to ensure basic water safety, raising urgent questions over governance and accountability in a city hailed as India’s cleanest.
