Disclaimer: This has been reported after the availability of the order of the Court and not on media reports so as to give an accurate report to our readers.
Madhya Pradesh High Court: In a batch of writ petitions filed regarding the Indore Water Contamination Crisis, the Division Bench of Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, JJ., directed the respondents to continue complying with the interim directions and also directed the Collector, Indore, and the Commissioner of the Indore Municipal Corporation (“IMC”) to ensure that the relevant records relating to the subject matter of the petition, the record of tender of laying drinking water line in Bhagirathpura, the 2018 water sample report, etc., were kept in safe custody.
Background
The petitioner filed the present petition against the State for failing to provide clean and pure drinking water to the residents of Indore City, particularly in Bhagirathpura. He contended that due to the supply of contaminated drinking water, a large number of people were infected, and many people had died. He sought directions that the IMC and State Government shall supply clean water regularly and provide the best treatment to the affected persons immediately.
Previously, on 06-01-2026, the Court issued interim directions to various authorities and also directed the Chief Secretary of the State to apprise the Court of what actions were being taken at the State level for preventing water contamination in the entire State.
Accordingly, the State passed an order dated 19-01-2026 appointing a High-Level Monitoring Committee (“the Committee”) to inquire into the causes of contamination of drinking water in Bhagirathpura and for measures required for the prevention of recurrence of such incidents, and also to ascertain the accountability of responsible officers/employees.
In compliance with the court order, the State and IMC filed status reports regarding compliance with the interim directions issued previously and prayed for time to submit a counter, as according to them, the directions were not being complied with properly. They also sought time to suggest the independent names for the Committee alongwith the Collector to ensure the strict compliance of the previous order.
They further contended that there was a possibility of manipulation of the original relevant record relating to the tender of laying a separate drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura and sample reports of the M.P. Pollution Control Board (“MPPCB”).
The petitioners contended that the Committee was nothing but an eyewash to save the erring higher officers.
Analysis
The Court directed the Collector, Indore, and the Commissioner of IMC to ensure that the relevant records relating to the subject matter of the petition, the record of tender of laying drinking water line in Bhagirathpura, the 2018 water sample report, etc., were kept in safe custody.
The Court further directed the respondents to continue to comply with the interim directions strictly and submit a further progress report. The Chief Secretary of the State shall appear through VC.
The matter was listed for 27-01-2026.
[Mahesh Garg v. State of MP, WP No. 50641 of 2025, decided on 20-01-2026]
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the petitioner: Ajay Bagadia, Shirin Selawat Ritesh Inani, Kuldeep Pathak
For the respondent: Senior Advocate Prashant Singh, AAG Ashish Yadav and Rahul Sethi, Dy. A.G. Sudeep Bhargava, Govt. Adv. Aditya Garg, Senior Advocate Sunil Kumar Jain, Advocates Rishi Tiwari, N.K. Soni, Vibhor Khandelwal, Anil Ojha, Abhinav Dhanodkar, Anurag Jain