Ensure Delhi night shelters are equipped to protect occupants from cold, HC tells authorities
The court took suo motu cognisance of a media report about patients’ kin having to spend the nights on the streets outside AIIMS as shelters were packed.
The Delhi High Court on Monday told authorities in the national capital to ensure that adequate facilities are provided in night shelters to protect its occupants from the cold, The Hindu reported.
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued the direction after taking suo motu cognisance of a report in The Hindu titled “Night shelters packed, patients, kin brave the cold outside hospitals” on January 11.
The report detailed the condition of patients and their kin staying outside on the streets near All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi due to the lack of affordable accommodation.
The bench directed the court registry to file the matter as a writ petition and to implead the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and the Delhi government as respondents, Live Law reported.
“What have you done?” the newspaper quoted the bench as asking the authorities when it heard the matter briefly on Monday. “If any one of us is required to live a night there, we don’t know what will happen. Be sensitive.”
The bench asked the authorities to compile complete information not only about the night shelter referred to in the report, but also on the situation prevailing in the shelters across the city.
“We also expect that the authorities concerned shall take adequate steps to ensure that residents of the shelters can save themselves from the chilling cold,” The Hindu quoted the court as saying.
The matter was listed for further hearing on Wednesday.
