NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has proposed a surprise inspection of public toilets in areas under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi by a team of students of three social work colleges, saying that access to hygienic public toilets is part of the right to life.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin W Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma passed the order while hearing a 2023 public interest litigation by Jan Seva Welfare Society on the issues of improvement, maintenance, and hygiene of public toilets.
The bench called upon the principals of Delhi School of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia College of Social Work, and Aditi Mahavidyalaya to spare teams comprising both male and female students for the inspection.
“The students will prepare a report on the condition of the toilets, which would include photographs, and will be paid an honorarium,” the bench said in an order passed on October 16.
The bench said that despite efforts by the MCD to ensure hygiene and structural maintenance in its public toilets, “the results were not satisfactory”.
The bench suggested that the additional commissioner in charge of sanitation would initiate appropriate steps based on the inspection reports.
"Apart from the obligations imposed under the Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution, the right to access hygienic public toilets includes Right to Life. We are informed that there are three social work colleges that can be identified, namely, the Delhi School of Social Work (now known as the Department of Social Work), run by the University of Delhi; Jamia Millia Islamia College of Social Work; and Aditi Mahavidyalaya which functions under the aegis of the University of Delhi." the court said.
"We request the Principals/Highest Director of these Institutions to spare teams comprising both male and female students in so as to have surprise inspection of these public toilets," the court said.
The bench further said that it was the MCD's statutory duty to provide hygienic public toilets.
"It is not for this court to supervise the day-to-day functioning of the respondent as to whether they are discharging their statutory duties up to the mark. Just to have a check, this court proposes to put a mechanism in order,” the bench said.
