Mumbai Floods: Bombay HC Issues Notice To BMC, State Govt; Seeks Reply In PIL On Dr. Amrapurkar’s Death On Deluge Day

The Bombay High Court has issued notices to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, state government and other respondents in a PIL that sought registration of an FIR against the Municipal Commissioner and officers of the BMC for causing the death of Dr. Deepak Amrapurkar due to criminal negligence.

Dr. Amrapurkar was a 58-year-old gastroenterologist at Bombay Hospital who slipped into an open manhole on the day Mumbai received its highest rainfall in 12 years. His body was found 36 hours later, in an open drain at Worli seashore.

However, the court refused to entertain the prayer of directions for registration of an FIR.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice NM Jamdar pointed at the limitations of a PIL to the petitioners and said: “We are sad about such painful death of Dr. Amrapurkar, but we cannot get emotional, you can.”

Thereafter, the bench suggested that the petitioners may file a private complaint, if they desire to do so.

Now, other prayers in the PIL remain open. Such as formation of an advisory committee of ‘renowned ex-bureaucrats and technocrats’ for carrying out a detailed inspection of all the manholes currently existing in the city of Mumbai so that they can suggest ways and means for streamlining the working and operations of the manholes.

The PIL questions the current BMC policy regarding the working of manholes and states that although BMC is the richest municipal body in Asia, it acted in a negligent and irresponsible manner due to which death traps like manholes are left open on the road. Thus, it seeks the installation of iron grills on all drainage systems/manholes of the city on a ‘war footing’.

This matter will now come up for hearing in two weeks’ time.