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HC gives MCD 4 months to construct toilet near Ashram Metro station after PIL flags open public urination

The HC was acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) flagging the municipal authorities’ inaction in maintaining public sanitation and curbing open public urination in the area.

2 min readNew DelhiMar 12, 2026 01:13 AM IST

The court, while disposing of the PIL, recorded that as soon as the requisite space is made available to MCD, the construction of the toilet will be completed in four months.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Capital’s civic authorities to construct a public toilet near the Ashram Metro station within four months and in the interim, provide facility of mobile toilets at the site.

The HC was acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) flagging the municipal authorities’ inaction in maintaining public sanitation and curbing open public urination in the area.

Practising advocate Shashank Singh, appearing as party-in-person in the PIL, complained that during the course of his daily commute, he is subjected to “extreme inconvenience and discomfort” owing to the “persistent and pervasive stench emanating from rampant public urination in the vicinity”.

Flagging the “progressive degradation” of public property and civic environment, the “unhygienic” conditions creating fertile ground for communicable diseases and infections and thus, posing a “public health threat”, Singh sought the court’s directions to the authorities to forthwith undertake cleaning of the area, deployment of adequate sanitation staff and cleaning mechanisms and installation of adequate public toilet facility, along with CCTV cameras. The PIL also sought strict enforcement of municipal laws, including issuance of challans and imposition of penalties against violators.

The MCD on Wednesday told the division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia that the said issue falls in the jurisdiction of Public Works Department (PWD), and that it had written to the department last month seeking suitable space to construct such a facility.

The court, while disposing of the PIL, recorded that as soon as the requisite space is made available to MCD, the construction of the toilet will be completed in four months.

“In the interregnum, till construction of the public toilet is made, MCD shall provide the facility of mobile toilets at the appropriate place,” it said, while directing that the mobile toilets shall be routinely cleaned and its sanitation standards maintained.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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