Delhi HC Orders PIL On Night Shelter Conditions
Directing urgent executive and judicial intervention, the Delhi High Court on Monday ordered the registration of a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over the “pitiable conditions” faced by patients, attendants, and their relatives, who are forced to brave the cold outside hospitals due to a lack of adequate night shelter facilities.
A Division Bench comprising Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla passed the directions after taking note of a news report published on January 11, 2026, titled “Night shelters packed, patients, kin brave the cold outside hospitals.”
The court noted that the article highlighted distressing conditions for people waiting for treatment in hospitals who have no place to stay.
Stating that the issue calls for immediate attention, the Bench directed the Registry to register the matter as a writ petition under the suo motu Public Interest Litigation head.
The court further ordered that key ministries be impleaded as respondents, including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, noting that these authorities, along with the Government of NCT of Delhi, exercise control over night shelters in the capital.
The Bench also directed that the writ petition be listed before Division Bench-I, which deals with public interest litigation matters, in accordance with the roster and subject to the orders of the Chief Justice, on the same day.
Additionally, the court ordered that a copy of the referenced newspaper article shall form part of the record and be treated as an annexure to the order.
The suo motu proceedings signal the High Court’s concern over the lack of basic shelter facilities for vulnerable patients and their families during the peak winter season, particularly outside major government hospitals in Delhi, and set the stage for scrutiny of governmental measures to address the issue. (ANI)
