Today, On 12th July, The High Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to transfer a building to a Delhi government department for relocating Asha Kiran inmates. The order aims to ensure better living conditions for the residents.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday instructed the MCD to transfer one of its nursing college and hostel buildings to the Department of Social Welfare. This move is intended to accommodate residents from the city-run Asha Kiran shelter home, which urgently needs more space.
The court noted that the shelter home, designed to house 570 individuals, is currently accommodating over 920 inmates, resulting in severe overcrowding. The bench emphasized the immediate need for a new facility to alleviate the situation.
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Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, remarked,
“Approximately 400 persons beyond the center’s capacity are residing there. A new building is urgently needed for this purpose,”
“This is a matter of priority. It’s extremely urgent and cannot be delayed.”
The Asha Kiran shelter home, which serves individuals with intellectual disabilities, has recently reported the deaths of 14 residents. In response, the secretary of the social welfare department informed the bench that several inmates have already been relocated to another shelter home.
The bench observed that the Asha Kiran home is currently accommodating 928 inmates, significantly exceeding its capacity of 570, creating an urgent need to decongest the facility. The court noted that obtaining approval from the full house and the MCD’s standing committee, which has yet to be constituted, would require considerable time.
To address the immediate need, the court directed the MCD commissioner to transfer the nursing college and hostel building to the Department of Social Welfare. This would allow the necessary modifications to be made so that the residents of Asha Kiran home can be relocated promptly.
The court also acknowledged that the Department of Social Welfare agreed to purchase the building, with the price to be determined by the MCD and communicated in due course.
During the proceedings, the secretary of the department informed the court that most of the vacancies for medical and non-medical staff at Asha Kiran home have now been filled. Previously, the high court had urged the department to take swift action to recruit the necessary staff, including doctors, for the shelter home.
Earlier, it reported that there were 12 vacancies in the medical cadre, along with several unfilled positions in the non-medical cadre.
The court hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) requesting the formation of an independent committee, headed by a retired high court judge, to investigate the incident at the shelter home.
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