Jabalpur Hospital Fire: HC seeks action report on Safety Violations

Written by Medical Dialogues Team Published On 2025-04-06T13:30:42+05:30 | Updated On 6 April 2025 1:30 PM IST

Bhopal: Following the tragic fire at New Life Multi-Speciality Hospital in Jabalpur, which claimed eight lives, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed that the report from the committee investigating the incident be submitted to the police.

The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain, issued the directive during a public interest litigation (PIL) hearing on Thursday. The court also sought an action taken report (ATR) concerning hospitals in Jabalpur operating in violation of safety regulations.

The PIL was filed by Vishal Baghel, president of the Law Students’ Association, who alleged that New Life Hospital was granted permission to operate despite serious violations of safety norms. One of the most crucial findings was that the hospital lacked proper emergency exits, which severely hindered the escape of patients and staff when the fire broke out.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that an unfortunate incident of a massive fire had been reported at New Life Multispeciality Hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, and at least nine to ten people were reported to be killed in the incident. Several fire tenders were rushed to the New Life Multispeciality Hospital, which eventually managed to bring the blaze under control. Many people, including patients and hospital staff, were inside the building when the fire broke out.

Also Read: MP: Massive fire at Jabalpur Hospital, 10 people charred to death

According to TOI, the petitioners further said that during the COVID pandemic, 65 new hospitals were given permission to start operation in Jabalpur, and in the majority of those hospitals, provisions of the National Building Code and fire security rules have not been followed. Several hospitals came up on land, which has a distinctly different land use. The hospitals were granted permission to operate without physical verification.

In response to these allegations, the state government informed the court that action was already being taken against hospitals operating in violation of safety norms. Recently, the registration of two hospitals in Jabalpur was canceled as part of ongoing efforts to enforce regulatory compliance.

The petitioner also referred to the report submitted by the committee led by the Divisional Commissioner, which implicated Dr. LN Patel and Dr. Nishesh Chaudhary for recommending the registration of the New Life Multi-Speciality Hospital without conducting a proper physical verification of the building. According to the petition, had a correct and thorough report been presented, the hospital would not have been allowed to operate, potentially preventing the tragic fire that claimed the lives of eight people.

Also Read: Jabalpur Hospital Fire: 4 doctors booked under IPC 304 for culpable homicide as Hospital's fire NOC found expired

After hearing the case, the bench, comprising Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain, directed that the committee’s report be handed over to the police for further investigation. Additionally, the court called for an Action Taken Report (ATR) to be submitted regarding the actions being taken against hospitals operating in violation of regulations.

Advocate Alok Bagrecha represented the petitioner during the hearing.

MP high courtNew Life Multispecialty HospitalPublic Interest Litigationhospital fire

Medical Dialogues Team