The Delhi High Court has proposed surprise inspections of public toilets across the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) area by teams of students from three social work institutions to assess their cleanliness, hygiene and structural condition.
A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma said access to hygienic public toilets was part of the right to life. It stressed that civic authorities were duty-bound not only to provide such facilities but also to ensure their proper maintenance.
The court requested the principals or directors of Jamia Millia Islamia’s College of Social Work, the Department of Social Work at Delhi University (DU), and Aditi Mahavidyalaya (DU) to constitute teams of male and female students to carry out the inspections.
The teams will submit reports, along with photographs, to the MCD Additional Commissioner in charge of sanitation. The officer will initiate appropriate action based on the findings and hold the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned zone accountable if any lapses are detected.
The Bench directed Tushar Sannu, Standing Counsel for the MCD, to communicate its October 16 order to the directors or principals of the institutions.
The Bench said the inspections were intended to check the functioning of civic authorities. “It is not for this Court to supervise the day-to-day functioning of the respondent to (see) whether they are discharging their statutory duties up to the mark,” it said.
The court was informed that the MCD had initially attempted to monitor sanitation facilities through geotagging and had subsequently engaged an institution in Chennai on a pilot basis in two zones. The civic body said the results of the pilot project were satisfactory.
“The fact remains that, despite the efforts being made by the respondents (civic bodies), the results are not to the satisfaction which led, time and again, complaints being brought before this court,” the Bench said.
The court noted that it had passed orders since 2023 on measures to improve and maintain public toilets and ensure hygiene.
It also said that, apart from ensuring the availability of the existing number of public toilets, civic bodies were required to be sensitive to the needs of the population in areas under the MCD.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Jan Seva Welfare Society concerning the improvement, maintenance and hygiene of public toilets. The matter is listed for further hearing on November 2.
Published - October 24, 2026 01:25 am IST