HC slams State for bodies decomposing at Gandhi Hospital due to cold storage shortage

Hyderabad: On Friday, the Telangana High Court pulled up the state government over the slackness shown by the state in providing a sufficient number of cold storage boxes in the Gandhi Hospital for the preservation of dead bodies.

Out of 60 cold storage boxes available in the hospital, only 25 boxes are functional and the others are dysfunctional due to which the 15 to 20 dead bodies received by the Gandhi Hospital decomposed beyond recognition.

A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty, referred to the Supreme Court judgment in 2020-22 which held that the “right to dignity and fair treatment under Article 21 of the Constitution of India is not only available to living but also to his dead body, after his death.”

The Chief Justice Court issued notices to the chief secretary, principal secretary to the government Medical and Health, commissioner of Health and Family Welfare, and chief superintendent of the Gandhi Hospital directing them to respond to the Notices by November 7, and further directed the principal secretary to file a status report.

Further, the Chief Justice Court, during the course of the hearing expressed its deep annoyance, when the government advocate sought four weeks to file a counter affidavit in this issue as the court felt that the State should take immediate remedial steps in these types of issues as the dead bodies should also be given a dignified departure.