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.
Chhattisgarh High Court: In a suo motu writ petition registered regarding the lack of lifts in the new composite Government building, the Division Bench of Ramesh Sinha, CJ., and Bibhu Datta Guru, J., directed the Secretary, Public Works Department (“PWD Secretary”), Mahanadi Bhawan, Atal Nagar, Nava Raipur, to file an affidavit on the matter within three days.
Background
The Court took cognizance based on a news report published in Bilaspur Bhaskar on 08-11-2025 regarding the deeply concerning condition of the new composite Government building, which houses the offices of 22 different Government departments.
According to the news report, the elevator/lift in the building had been out of service for the past six months. A new elevator/lift was also under construction, but despite considerable time having elapsed, it had not been made functional, reportedly due to delays in installation work. Consequently, the entire building, which is three storeys high and contains 72 stairs in total, remained without any operational lift facility.
The report highlighted that approximately 250 Government officials and employees worked in this composite building, and an equal number of citizens visited these Government departments daily for their essential work. Thus, nearly 500 people were suffering due to the absence of a functional lift. A particularly distressing aspect mentioned in the report was that four disabled employees were posted in the building, and with a dysfunctional lift, they were compelled to climb stairs daily. The report described in detail the ordeal of a Labour Inspector, who, using crutches, climbs 24 steps to reach the first floor, placing one foot at a time and relying on the railing and crutches for support.
The news report also pointed out that Government rules mandate the installation of functional lifts, ramps, and wheelchair facilities in all public buildings for the convenience of disabled persons. Further, in case of failure of such facilities, temporary arrangements must be provided on the ground floor. However, the situation in the composite building showed complete disregard for these directives, as no ground floor arrangements had been made despite the long duration of lift failure.
Another aspect noted by the report was the lack of basic amenities like drinking water facilities on all three floors, which forced employees to pool money to purchase water bottles. Employees from various Government departments wrote to the Collector requesting that the lift be repaired and the new lift made operational at the earliest.
Considering the gravity of the situation and the time sought by the State, the Court had granted time to the Advocate General to obtain proper instructions and place the factual position on record.
Stating that the aforementioned report had raised issues of grave public importance, the Court directed the PWD Secretary to file a personal affidavit mentioning:
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the present status of the repair of the existing lift,
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the reasons for the prolonged delay in making the new lift operational,
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the timeline within which both lifts shall be made functional, and
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the steps proposed to ensure accessibility and availability of basic amenities within the composite Government building.
The affidavit shall be filed before the next date.
Accordingly, the PWD Secretary filed two affidavits.
Analysis
Upon perusal of one of the affidavits, the Court noted that a new lift had been made operational, and the old dysfunctional lift, would be made functional after necessary repairs within 15 days. Regarding the other amenities, the same fall within the domain of the Collector/District Magistrate, Bilaspur.
Accordingly, the Court directed the Collector/District Magistrate to ensure that the basic amenities were provided to the composite building and file his personal affidavit by the next date.
For the consideration of the PWD secretary’s second affidavit and the affidavit sought from the Collector/District Magistrate, the matter was listed for 27-11-2025.
[In the Matter of Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation v. State of Chhattisgarh, WPPIL No. 99 of 2025, decided on 10-11-2025]
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the respondent: Advocate General Prafull N. Bharat and Additional Advocate General Yashwant Singh Thakur