HC disposes PIL on dumping of decomposing bodies outside Gandhi Hospital mortuary

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice C.V Bhaskar Reddy on Thursday heard a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Abhinava Colony Residents Association, Padma Rao Nagar, seeking to declare as illegal the leaving of unclaimed, decaying, and decomposing bodies outside the mortuary of Gandhi Hospital.

The association was represented by its president Rajeev Deshpandey and seven others.

Further, the PIL sought necessary steps to remove all unclaimed and decomposed bodies from the mortuary, shift all the bodies to the outskirts of the city, and destroy them by burning. It also called for keeping the surroundings of the mortuary and hospital neat and hygienic.

Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked the state government authorities about the status of the alleged matter. GP for the Home department, Mamidi Roopender, informed the court that the status report was filed on 8 July 2022.

After reading the report, CJ Bhuyan said unclean bodies can be used by first-year medical students for their studies. If the hospital has excess bodies, give one body to every student so that it will be easy for the medical students to learn, he said.

In the report, it was stated that the storage capacity for dead bodies at Gandhi Hospital was 12 and subsequently it was enhanced to 17.

Moreover, the mortuary at Gandhi Hospital has 17 modern preservation boxes. Further, modern methods are being used so as not to cause inconvenience to the local people and also to the patients and their attendants. After 72 hours, the dead bodies are moved to the crematorium or graveyard for funeral in collaboration with the GHMC.

The CJ Division Bench, after hearing the facts, was satisfied with the actions of the government and disposed of the PIL.