Chhattisgarh High Court: In a suo motu public interest litigation (‘PIL’) regarding the deplorable working condition and lack of medical facilities in the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur (‘CIMS’), the Division Bench of Ramesh Sinha, CJ., and Bibhu Datta Guru, J., took note of a news article stating that despite purchase of new machines worth Rs. 15 Crores, no machines were delivered to the CIMS. Noting this, the Court granted time to the State, other respondents, and Chhattisgarh Medical Services Corporation Ltd (‘CGMSCL’) to seek instructions in the matter and file an appropriate reply.
Background
On 21-10-2023, the Court took suo motu cognizance due to a news item published in Navbharat, which highlighted the deplorable working conditions and lack of medical facilities in the CIMS.
During the pendency of the present PIL, on 09-09-2025, a news article was published in Dainik Bhaskar, which stated that to modernize the medical facilities in the CIMS, the State approved the purchase of machines worth Rs. 15 Crores, but despite four months since the approval, not a single machine had reached CIMS. In such a situation, the Doctors were having to manage with the help of old equipment.
The news report stated that to strengthen medical services and speed up the tests/examination process of patients, the CIMS management had sent two separate proposals of Rs. 15 Crores to the Government. Despite getting the approval from the Government, the supply of machines had not started yet. Meanwhile, due to their needs, the CIMS purchased some machines for Rs. 66 Lakhs, but the same was inadequate. Doctors said that with new machines, it would be possible to examine more patients in less time, and the quality of treatment would also improve.
Furthermore, the CIMS Management stated that equipment/machines had to be supplied at the Governmental level for the major departments of CIMS, and a list of special technical equipment had been prepared for each department, which will upgrade the facilities of the medical system.
Analysis
The Court stated that upon perusal of the news report, it transpired that despite the availability of sufficient funds, the machines/equipment were not being made available to the CIMS, which was causing hardships not only to the patients but also to the Doctors, who could have saved their precious time and energy, and a greater number of patients could have been treated.
Accordingly, the Court granted time to the State, other respondents, and the Managing Director, CGMSCL, to seek instructions in the matter and file an appropriate reply.
Furthermore, the Secretary, Department of Health, Chhattisgarh, as well as the Managing Director, CGMSCL, were directed to file affidavits regarding the aforementioned news report before the next hearing.
The matter was listed on 18-09-2025 for further monitoring.
[In the matter of Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation v. State of Chhattisgarh, 2025 SCC OnLine Chh 9152, decided on 09-09-2025]
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the respondent: Additional Advocate General Y.S. Thakur and Advocate Anuroop Panda
