Bombay High Court Condemns "Horrific" Infant Malnutrition Deaths in Maharashtra's Tribal Regions

Mumbai:

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday severely criticized Maharashtra's government for its "extremely casual" approach towards child malnutrition deaths in the tribal-dominated Melghat region, describing the situation as "horrific".

A bench consisting of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil highlighted that 65 infants between zero to six months of age have died due to malnutrition in Melghat from June 2025 until now.

"This is horrific. The government should be worried and concerned," the court stated emphatically.

The court was addressing multiple public interest litigations that brought attention to the alarming mortality rates among children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers due to malnutrition in eastern Maharashtra's Amravati district, particularly the Melghat region.

The justices pointed out that despite issuing orders on this matter since 2006, there remains a significant disparity between the government's documented claims and the actual conditions on the ground.

"This shows the seriousness you have on the issue. The approach is extremely casual," the bench observed.

"The government should be concerned. Sixty-five infants have died from June till now. You should be worried. Just as we are concerned, you all should be too. This is horrific," the court added.

Urging immediate governmental action, the high court ordered the principal secretaries from four key departments—public health, tribal affairs, women and child, and finance—to appear before it on November 24.

"This is a very sorry state of affairs. The issue of public health is being taken so lightly by the government," the court remarked.

The bench also mandated that these principal secretaries file affidavits detailing the steps they have taken to address the crisis.

Additionally, the court suggested implementing higher pay for doctors assigned to tribal areas as an incentive, considering the challenging conditions they face.

"There has to be some accountability. You need to have some mechanism," the high court concluded.