The Madhya Pradesh (MP) High Court on Tuesday condemned the state government over its ‘insensitive’ response submitted to the court in the contaminated drinking water case that killed at least six people as per the officials, and 17 as per the local residents. The case was heard by a division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, who took up four petitions related to the outbreak and asked State Chief Secretary Anurag Jain to appear before the court through videoconferencing on January 15, 2026 and inform the court about the actions taken to prevent water contamination in the entire state so that the same incident doesn’t recur elsewhere.
The court also issued a number of directions to the government including a long-term safety plan for Indore and immediate supply of clean drinking water through tankers or packaged water to the affected areas. The bench observed that the incident has not only shaken up the public trust but also tarnished the image of Indore as the cleanest city in India for eight consecutive years. The crisis has so far affected nearly 5,000 people in Bhagirathpura area of Indore. The situation is now under control and that new hospital admissions have been consistently declining, said the authorities.
