Broken toilets, no drinking water: Courts in Chennai blind to basic needs

The toilets at five court complexes that TNIE visited were found to be poorly maintained. Many of them were locked, in disrepair or extremely unhygienic.
Poorly maintained toilets in a court complex in Chennai
Poorly maintained toilets in a court complex in Chennai
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CHENNAI: Despite thousands of people visiting daily, the state of toilets and drinking water facilities on court premises are in a poor shape. A ground report by TNIE showed that the issue is not limited to just one court, but in almost every court in the city, including the Madras High Court.

TNIE’s visit to at least five court complexes - Madras High Court, Saidapet Magistrate Court, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore, the Combined Court Campus in Chengalpattu, and Alandur Court revealed poorly maintained toilets, many of which were either locked (especially the PwDs toilets) or in disrepair.

The Saidapet Magistrate Court is one of the busiest subordinate courts in the city. Yet, visitors endure long hours without proper toilet access. The toilets on the premises were found to be extremely unhygienic, with fecal matter around the toilets. Discarded water bottles clogged the toilets. The campus houses eight courts but has only six restrooms, two of which often remain closed, say visitors.

“Since court sessions last for several hours, we are forced to hold our urge to urinate due to the lack of clean toilets. We relieve ourselves outside in nearby metro stations or hotels,” said an advocate.

Drinking water facilities are equally poor as the water dispenser seemed to have no supply. The court relies on a single lift with an 800kg capacity for eight courts and has only one emergency exit for the entire campus.

A similar situation was observed at the Chengalpattu Combined Court, as the toilet block for men and women on the ground floor remained locked, with no staff in sight. Visitors were forced to use facilities on the second floor of the main building, where restrooms had broken doors and damaged locks, leaving only one unclean toilet accessible. The toilets on the first floor had no lights and were also unusable. There were no separate toilets for differently-abled persons. Also conspicuous was the lack of drinking water facilities, forcing visitors to buy bottled water.

Bird droppings on the drinking water dispenser at the Family Court at Madras HC
Bird droppings on the drinking water dispenser at the Family Court at Madras HC

The stainless-steel water dispensers in the Family Court building of the Madras High Court were covered in bird droppings, with tumblers visibly unclean. A newly constructed public toilet block within the premises provides separate areas for men and women, and dedicated toilets for the differently-abled.

However, there are no single-occupancy gender-neutral toilets. While the new toilet block was reasonably clean, older restrooms inside the court building were in a bad condition. Locked toilets on the Family Court building’s ground floor and poorly maintained facilities on upper floors remain common issues.

Arjuna S (45), who assists his wife with a neurological disability, a stenographer at the high court, said, “One of my biggest challenges is helping her navigate from the second to the third floor of the Family Court to access the ladies’ western toilet, as the second floor lacks such a facility. The poor hygiene and stench from the toilets raise concerns of potential health complications.” Toilets in the city civil court building were also seen with broken door locks, leaky taps, and foul-smelling.

R Kanmani, a transwoman advocate, said the absence of gender-neutral toilets forces her to use restrooms based on her attire. “When wearing a saree, I use the women’s restroom, and when dressed in a shirt and pants, I use the men’s restroom,” she said. She highlighted the lack of sanitary napkin vending machines, disposal units, and dustbins in the toilets. However, Kanmani received a positive response to her letter requesting gender-neutral toilets, with officials promising three such facilities soon in the high court. But this needs to be implemented in every other court and public space, she said.

Toilets designated for differently-abled were locked in both Egmore and Alandur courts, with entryways blocked by cleaning materials, rendering them inaccessible.

When TNIE attempted to contact the Public Works Department for a comment regarding the unrepaired and poorly maintained facilities, the efforts went in vain.

(Inputs from Jeyasri Thirumalaiappan and Amirtha Varshini R)

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