Leave no stone unturned to promote best interest of tribals, HC tells Maha govt

The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to make all possible efforts to promote the best interest of tribal people in the state.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik was on Thursday hearing a bunch of public interest litigations filed in 2007, highlighting the high numbers of deaths of children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers due to malnutrition in Melghat region of the state.

The court in its order, made available on Friday, said the issue required close coordination between the concerned departments of the government.

"No stone should be left unturned by all these departments to act cohesively with a view to promoting the best interest of the tribal people," the bench said.

Government pleader P P Kakade informed the court that a meeting was held on July 6 between the representatives of the concerned state departments to discuss the suggestions made by various parties concerned, including the petitioners.

Kakade sought three weeks' time to consider which of these suggestions can be implemented.

"We grant the state time to consider the suggestions with an open mind and to ensure that the same is implemented to the extent possible," the court said.

The bench directed the government to submit a report on August 11, indicating which of the suggestions had been implemented and are in the process of being implemented and the ones that may not be put into action.

The court also directed the government to take into consideration the report submitted by senior IPS officer Dr. Chhering Dorje.

Dorje, a special Inspector General, was directed by the high court to study the problems faced by people living in the tribal belt and submit a report. Dorje had submitted an exhaustive report to the court in December 2021, wherein he sought a comprehensive program to address the issue.