MP High Court seeks detailed report on Indore water contamination case, directs Chief Secretary to be present during next hearing on Jan 15

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 6 : The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday held a hearing on Indore's Bhagirathpura water contamination case and expressed serious concern over the incident, seeking a detailed report of the matter on the next hearing.
The Court also directed the state's Chief Secretary to appear before it through video conferencing on the next hearing scheduled for January 15. The court heard all the petitions related to Bhagirathpura case together, including a petition filed by Indore High Court Bar Association President, Ritesh Inani.
Speaking to ANI, Inani said, "A hearing was held today before the division bench of the Indore Bench of MP High Court. Around four to five petitions related to the Bhagirathpura case were heard together. The court heard all the issues in detail and was surprised that Indore is the cleanest city in the country and such a major incident involving contaminated water had occurred here."
The court expressed concern not only about Indore's Bhagirathpura area but also about the drinking water situation across the state. It observed that every citizen in the state has a fundamental right to get clean drinking water, he said.
The Indore High Court Bar Association President further added, "The court directed the government to present complete details of the matter before it and the next hearing has been scheduled for January 15. The court has also directed the state's Chief Secretary to appear before it through video conferencing."
The court also observed that if required in the future, civil and criminal liability would be decided against those officials who would be found guilty in the matter. It added that if the compensation provided to affected families is found to be inadequate, the court may issue further directions in this regard in future, Inani said.
"A total of four to five petitions were filed in the case. In my petition, the primary demand was to ensure clean drinking water for all citizens of the city and to take action against those responsible. We also sought the formation of a high-level committee to function under the supervision of a retired High Court judge and submit an accurate report before the court. The status report submitted by the Indore Municipal Corporation on January 2 showed a significant discrepancy between the official death figures and the figures presented by us, which surprised the court. A detailed report has been sought in this regard. We informed the court that approximately 15 to 17 deaths had occurred," he added.
The incident has sparked widespread criticism as it claimed several lives and many families were affected from it. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had announced Rs 2 lakh financial assistance to the families of the deceased and free treatment to all the affected people.