Delhi High Court summons official over state of night shelters
27 March 2014 5:32 AM IST
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday observed that the provision of night shelters in the capital was ‘thoroughly unsatisfactory’ and summoned the CEO of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to assist the court in coming out with ‘better and humane’ shelters. A division bench of acting chief justice BD Ahmed and justice Siddharth Mridul took the decision to call the DUSIB chief after it was informed by counsel Jayant Bhushan that most of the night shelters were operating in inhuman conditions.
‘Since the issues have not been adequately resolved by the agencies before us, particularly DUSIB, it requires the CEO of DUSIB to assist this court for resolving the issue. The CEO shall remain present in court on the next date of hearing,’ the bench said posting the matter for 2 April. During the hearing, Bhushan said the city’s homeless were forced to sleep under ‘inhuman condition in cramped spaces’ at night shelters made similar to a railway berth. It said the space given to each individual to spend the night was inadequate. During the hearing, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) refuted the claim of DUSIB that it was not provided land. ‘We have given them land as and when DUSIB applied to us,’ the DDA counsel said. The court suo motu took up for hearing the case of the absence of enough night shelters in the city and basic facilities in existing ones.
‘Since the issues have not been adequately resolved by the agencies before us, particularly DUSIB, it requires the CEO of DUSIB to assist this court for resolving the issue. The CEO shall remain present in court on the next date of hearing,’ the bench said posting the matter for 2 April. During the hearing, Bhushan said the city’s homeless were forced to sleep under ‘inhuman condition in cramped spaces’ at night shelters made similar to a railway berth. It said the space given to each individual to spend the night was inadequate. During the hearing, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) refuted the claim of DUSIB that it was not provided land. ‘We have given them land as and when DUSIB applied to us,’ the DDA counsel said. The court suo motu took up for hearing the case of the absence of enough night shelters in the city and basic facilities in existing ones.
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