The Delhi High Court proposed surprise public toilet inspections by social work students. The mechanism could strengthen civic accountability and protect access to hygienic sanitation.Image used for representational purposes onlyNewdelhi,Oct 23, 2026 15:14 ISTThe Delhi High Court has proposed surprise inspections of public toilets under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi by teams of students from three social work institutions, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The court said access to hygienic public toilets was part of the right to life.The proposal came during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Jan Seva Welfare Society in 2023 over the improvement, maintenance and hygiene of public toilets. The court observed that despite the MCD's efforts to maintain hygiene and repair structures, the results were not satisfactory.A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin W Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma asked the heads of the Delhi School of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia College of Social Work and Aditi Mahavidyalaya to provide teams comprising male and female students for the inspections.The students will prepare reports on the condition of the toilets, including photographs, and will be paid an honorarium.

The bench passed the order on October 16. According to PTI, the court suggested that the additional commissioner in charge of sanitation should take appropriate steps based on the inspection reports.“Apart from the obligations imposed under the Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution, the right to access hygienic public toilets includes Right to Life,” the court said. “We are informed that there are three social work colleges that can be identified, namely, the Delhi School of Social Work (now known as the Department of Social Work), run by the University of Delhi; Jamia Millia Islamia College of Social Work; and Aditi Mahavidyalaya which functions under the aegis of the University of Delhi.

We request the Principals/Highest Director of these Institutions to spare teams comprising both male and female students in so as to have surprise inspection of these public toilets,” it said.The MCD's counsel told the court that the civic body had sought assistance from an institution in Chennai on a pilot basis to maintain toilets in two zones and that the results were satisfactory.Emphasising that providing hygienic public toilets was the MCD's legal duty, the bench said: “It is not for this court to supervise the day-to-day functioning of the respondent as to whether they are discharging their statutory duties up to the mark. Just to have a check, this court proposes to put ... (a) mechanism in order.”Under the proposal, the deputy commissioner concerned would be held answerable for a default.

The court also said that in cases of consecutive defaults, the authorities must state what action they propose to take against the officials responsible.The court listed the matter for hearing on November 2 and sought the views of the heads of the three social work institutions and MCD officials before passing an appropriate order. It added that any failure to provide financial support for the project would be viewed seriously.The proposed mechanism is intended to assess the condition of MCD-run public toilets through surprise inspections and ensure that officials act on the students' reports.- Ends