Unicaus NEWS
The Division Bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh D. Patil was listening to a public curiosity litigation filed in 2007 by Rajendra Sadanand Burma and one other petitioner. The matter was urgently circulated after the petitioners knowledgeable the court docket that “about 65 youngsters between 0-6 months from June, 2025 until date, have died attributable to malnutrition.”
The judges famous that regardless of an earlier order dated July 29, 2025, directing events to submit a joint report on steps to deal with malnutrition, “the identical has not been performed until at present.”
The Bench noticed, “Considering what’s acknowledged within the affidavit, we discover that the State Government has loads to place in place. We, due to this fact, direct the State Government to file affidavits of the respective departments inside one week from at present. The affidavits to be filed by the respective Principal Secretaries of the involved Departments.”
Disturbing floor realities
The petitioners’ affidavit dated October 16, 2025, paints a grim image of healthcare and infrastructure in Melghat. It recounts how the Raipur Sub-Centre in Chikhaldara was shut for 3 months, ensuing within the demise of Sugati Ghode, who couldn’t obtain well timed remedy.
In Hathras village, a toddler was delivered at midnight below the torchlight of a cell phone as a result of there was no electrical energy and no medical assist. Another girl, Rupali Dhande, seven months pregnant, died en path to Dharni hospital after delivering at residence with out help. Roads between Bairagad and Dharni have been described as being in such poor situation {that a} girl went into labour throughout transit and delivered in a automobile jolted by potholes.
The affidavit additionally alleges that “regardless of a number of suggestions being made by Dr. Abhay Bang Committee, the stated suggestions haven’t been applied in its true spirit and that no motion has been taken by the State Government regardless of a number of orders being handed by this Court.”
Systemic collapse
The doc highlights a cascade of failures: twelve individuals died in Koylari and Pasdongari after water provide schemes collapsed attributable to electrical energy disconnections, forcing villagers to drink polluted water. About 365 villages stay with out electrical energy, and photo voltaic methods put in at well being centres have been dysfunctional for 5 months. The affidavit states that Maharashtra spends solely 0.4% of its revenue on healthcare, with per capita expenditure dropping from ₹975 in 2019 to even decrease in 2024–25.
Vacant posts plague the well being system, 60% of Primary Health Centres don’t have any common docs, and sanctioned posts for medical officers and well being staff stay unfilled. Mobile medical vans are non-functional for need of spare elements and funds. Schemes meant to help pregnant ladies, akin to Matrutva Anudan Yojana, haven’t disbursed funds for 5 years, leaving 250–300 ladies with out help. The affidavit additional notes that regardless of ₹5,000 crore being launched below the Poshan Abhiyaan since 2017, Maharashtra has utilized solely half the quantity, with NITI Aayog flagging lapses.
The petitioners additionally allege irregularities within the NGO sector, claiming that whereas 380 NGOs are proven on paper, solely 20 are practical, elevating considerations of fund misuse. Infrastructure stays uncared for—solely 60% of roads have been constructed, and most haven’t been maintained for twenty years. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s strictures for failing to supply primary well being wants have gone unheeded, and guarantees made within the Assembly stay unfulfilled. Even a court docket order from December 2001 directing the development of an ultramodern hospital at Dharni has not been applied.
Court’s observations
The Bench termed the diet allocation below Anganwadi providers “paltry,” observing, “Needless to state, that the quantity which is mirrored in para 26 of the affidavit was revised within the yr 2017 and is a paltry quantity which undoubtedly wants reconsideration and enhancement.”
It additional remarked, “It seems that regardless of a number of orders handed by this Court, no critical steps are being taken by the involved departments to handle the problems in query and therefore, we request the Principal Secretaries of all of the involved departments i.e. Tribal Affairs, Public Health, Finance, Women and Child and PWD to seem earlier than us on the following date by way of V.C.”
The Union of India has additionally been directed to file its affidavit inside every week and reply to earlier observations from November 1, 2018.
