The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the district administration and Indore Municipal Corporation to preserve all original records related to the Bhagirathpura drinking water contamination crisis, including the tender documents for laying the water pipeline and test reports from the State Pollution Control Board.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi passed the order on Tuesday while hearing a batch of public interest litigations concerning the diarrhoea outbreak and multiple deaths allegedly caused by contaminated water in the Bhagirathpura area.
“It is directed that the Collector, Indore, and the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, shall ensure that the relevant records relating to the subject matter of the petition, including the record of the tender for laying a drinking water line in Bhagirathpura and the sample report, etc, are kept in safe custody,” the court said.
The direction came in response to concerns raised by the petitioners’ counsels who expressed apprehension that the original records might be tampered with.
The bench also instructed the state government to continue adhering to its interim directions issued on January 6 and submit a fresh progress report. Those directions had mandated several urgent remedial measures, including:
- Free medical treatment for those affected by diarrhoeal illness
- Immediate provision of safe drinking water
- Disconnection of contaminated water sources
- Strengthening water testing and disinfection systems
- Infrastructure upgrades
- A long-term water security plan
The court has scheduled the next hearing for January 27 and has again directed Chief Secretary Anurag Jain to join via video link, as he has done during the past three hearings.
During the proceedings, state counsel informed the court that a high-level committee had been constituted to investigate the source of contamination, assign accountability, and suggest preventive measures for the future.
However, petitioners’ lawyers accused the state of attempting to shield senior officials. They alleged that the committee was a “mere eyewash” and that the administration had failed to fully implement the high court’s earlier directions.
In light of these concerns, the court proposed the formation of a monitoring committee headed by the District Magistrate and asked the petitioners’ counsel to suggest names of independent members. The counsel sought time to revert on this.
While local residents have claimed that 25 people have died from vomiting and diarrhoea since late December, a status report submitted by the state government on January 15 confirmed seven deaths. A separate death audit conducted by the Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College has attributed as many as 15 deaths to the water crisis.
According to officials, the contamination originated from the mixing of sewage with the piped drinking water supply in the area. Tests conducted on 51 tubewells in Bhagirathpura revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria, indicating severe faecal contamination.
The Bhagirathpura water crisis has drawn sharp criticism from civil society, with widespread reports of residents suffering from water-borne illnesses. The outbreak in Indore—India’s cleanest city by rankings—has sparked public outrage and judicial scrutiny, with the High Court taking a proactive role through suo motu cognizance and hearing multiple PILs seeking accountability and systemic reform.
