Delhi High Court - Orders
Court On Its Own Motion vs Union Of India & Ors on 13 February, 2026
Author: Prathiba M. Singh
Bench: Prathiba M. Singh, Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora
$~1 (SDB)& 2(SDB)
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
+ W.P.(C) 3903/2017, CM APPLs.18718/2017, 19134/2017 &
27526/2018
COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION .....Petitioner
Through: Mr. Ashok Agarwal, Mr. Kumar
Utkarsh, Mr. Manoj Kumar, Ms.
Ashna Khan & Ms. Gousia Iqbal,
Advs. Amicus Curiae.
Mr. Vishwajeet Singh, for Mr.
Siddharth Aggarwal, Sr. Adv. Amicus
Curiae. (M: 8800894344)
versus
UNION OF INDIA & ORS .....Respondent
Through: Ms Arunima Dwivedi CGSC with Ms
Himanshi Singh, Ms Monalisha
Pradhan & Ms Priya Khurana, Advs.
for UOI. (M: 9810916537)
Mr. Sameer Vashisht, Standing
Counsel (Civil), GNCTD with Ms.
Harshita Nathani, Advs. with Mr.
Ravindra Kumar, Scientist, G, NIC &
Mr. Prashant Gupta, Technical Officer
MoHFW.
Mr Sagar Saxena, Mr Krishnandu
Haldar & Mr Abu Hassan Usmani,
Advs. for JACSDO. (M: 9560153707)
Mr. Ravinder Agarwal, Mr. Manish
Kumar Singh, Mr. Vasu Agarwal.
Advs. for UPSC. (M: 9927876238)
Mr. Rakesh Malhotra, Mr. Bharat
Malhotra & Ms. Smritika Kesri, Advs.
for MCD. (M: 8447151507)
Ms. Radhika Bishwajit Dubey CGSC
along with Ms Gurleen Kaur Waraich
and Mr Kritarth Upadhyay, Vivek
Sharma, Advocate. (M: 9026894805)
W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 1 of 11
This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.
The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42
Mr. V.S. R. Krishna, Adv. for AIIMS.
Mrs. Avnish Ahlawat, Standing
Counsel, GNCTD with Mr. Uday
Singh Ahlawat, Ms. Tania Ahlawat
Mr. N.K. Singh, Ms. Aliza Alam, Mr.
Mohnish Sehrawat and Ms. Laavanya
Kaushik, Advs.
Mr. Tushar Sannu and Mr. Fajallu
Rehman, Adv. for GNCTD.
(M:9911991166)
Mr. Amit Tiwari, CGSC with Ms.
Ayushi Srivastava, Mr. Ayush
Tanwar, Mr. Arpan Narwal, Mr.
Kushagra Malik, Advs. for UOI.
2(SDB) AND
+ W.P.(C) 8548/2017, CM APPLs. 985/2024, 50101/2024, 840/2026
COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION .....Petitioner
Through: Mr. Ashok Agarwal, Mr. Kumar
Utkarsh, Mr. Manoj Kumar, Ms.
Ashna Khan & Ms. Gousia Iqbal,
Advs. Amicus Curiae. (M:
9811101923)
Mr. S.D. Windlesh in person.
versus
UNION OF INDIA AND ORS .....Respondents
Through: Ms Arunima Dwivedi CGSC with Ms
Himanshi Singh, Ms Monalisha
Pradhan & Ms Priya Khurana, Advs.
for UOI.
Mr. Sameer Vashisht, Standing
Counsel (Civil), GNCTD with Ms.
Harshita Nathani, Adv. and Dr.
Sumesh Rathi, CMO (NFSG), EWS
Cell.
Mr. Ravinder Agarwal, Mr. Manish
Kumar Singh, Mr. Vasu Agarwal,
Advs. for UPSC.
Mr. Tushar Sannu and Mr. Fajallu
W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 2 of 11
This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.
The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42
Rehman, Adv. for GNCTD.
Mr. V.S. R. Krishna, Adv. for AIIMS.
Ms. Avshreya Pratap Singh Rudy,
CGSC with Ms. Usha Jamnal, Ms.
Prajna Pandita, Ms. Nyasa Sharma &
Mr. Mohammad Junaid Mahmood,
Advs. (M: 9810001315)
Mrs. Avnish Ahlawat, Standing
Counsel, GNCTD with Mr. N.K.
Singh, Ms. Aliza Alam, Mr. Uday
Singh Ahlawat, Ms. Tania Ahlawat
Mr. Mohnish Sehrawat and Ms.
Laavanya Kaushik, Advs.
CORAM:
JUSTICE PRATHIBA M. SINGH
JUSTICE MANMEET PRITAM SINGH ARORA
ORDER
% 13.02.2026
1. This hearing has been done through hybrid mode.
2. On the last date of hearing, i.e. 8th January, 2026, the Court had issued several directions in this matter, in respect of the issues that need to be addressed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. In respect of the said issues, GNCTD was directed to file status reports/affidavits.
HMIS System:
3. Today, Mr. Ravinder Kumar, Scientist G, from National Informatics Centre (hereinafter, 'NIC') is present before the Court, and has furnished a powerpoint presentation (hereinafter, 'the PPT'), in respect of the development in the modules of the HMIS System.
4. With respect to this issue, the following directions were issued by the Court on 8th January, 2026:
W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 3 of 11This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42 "C. HMIS/ Digital Health Systems-
16. In respect of the HMIS system which is recommended in the Dr. S.K. Sarin Committee Report, there were 14 Modules which were to be implemented across the Government hospitals in Delhi, which are as under:
17. Out of the above mentioned 14 modules, Health Secretary, GNCTD- Mr. Nikhil Kumar has informed the Court that 7 have already been implemented and with respect to the remaining 7, the deadline is 31 st January, 2026. The said status, as provided in the application filed by the GNCTD is as under:W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 4 of 11
This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42
18. Direction no.5: Let the remaining 7 modules be also implemented by 31st January, 2026 and the demonstration of the same be given by the officials of NIC, along with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, GNCTD, on the next date of hearing before the court.
19. The Court is further informed that the data relating to availability of emergency facilities, trauma related facilities as also availability of beds in government hospitals is clearly put up on the website and patients can access the same.
20. Direction No.6: Let the GNCTD and NIC study the feasibility of making the said data available on real-
time basis in a mobile application so that it is made easily accessible to patients, police personnel who usually deal with accident victims, ambulance providers, private hospitals etc., A status report be presented on the next date on this aspect."
W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 5 of 11This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42
5. The PPT has also been presented before the Court today. The hard copy of the PPT furnished on behalf of NIC is taken on record.
6. Mr. Ravinder Kumar submits that there are more than 3000 hospitals across the country which are on a common platform called 'NextGen eHospital', wherein there are various features for interconnecting all the hospitals under the platform. The said presentation depicts how data sharing is being enabled between hospitals regarding patient records and other information.
7. The Court has perused the said PPT relating to NextGen eHospital HMIS. There can be no doubt that the integration of hospitals across the country and sharing of data can be an enabler for quick and effective treatment to patients who may not be in possession of all relevant records if they shift from one hospital to another. Moreover, the sharing of data also, subject to legally prescribed conditions, would also enable doctors to see patterns and significantly improve diagnosis as well. The said platform has various features that can be of crucial importance in assessment of larger health patterns that emerge in the country as well. As per NIC, the said features include:
• Integration of work-flow from Out patient Departments, In-patient deparments, Billing, Pharmacy, appointment, QMS; • Availability of the full medicinal journey of the Patient and integration of health reports;
• It acts as a secure data exchange platform;
• It has a AI-CDSS (Clinical Decision Support System) which is an AI tool;
• Provides for AI-assisted tele-radiology for enhanced diagnostics.W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 6 of 11
This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42
8. Insofar as GNCTD is concerned, the following features are stated to have been implemented in Delhi.
W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 7 of 11This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42
9. However, the issue that this Court is presently dealing in this case, is in respect of making available immediate information, on a real-time basis, regarding the number of beds available for different specialities across the hospitals in Delhi, and how this data can be accessed by patients, ambulance service providers, patients' families, doctors, etc.
10. A perusal of the PPT shown today reveals that 38 hospitals in Delhi are already on the NextGen eHospital platform, however, it appears that the said platform is not being fully utilised for admission into hospitals, and at the time when the patients are discharged from the hospital. Manual admission and discharges are stated to be parallelly going on - may be due to lack of computers or training of staff etc., The scaling up and expansion of this platform would therefore be necessary for real-time reliable data to be available.
11. In addition, upon being queried, ld. Counsel for GNCTD- Mr. Sameer Vashisht submits that the data of the Delhi Government hospitals in respect of availability of beds, ICU facilities etc., is available online on the website:
https://tejasvi.delhi.gov.in/ui/shared/DelhiGovernmentHospitalBedDashboa rdPublic.
12. However, it is submitted that the mobile application containing all such information is still under finalisation, as there are certain approvals which are required for the application to be made available on the Google Play Store.
13. Mr. Prashant Gupta, Technical Officer, Health and Family Welfare Department, GNCTD is also present in Court. He has, in fact, tried to show that the said mobile application is almost finalized and the necessary approval from google is awaited.
14. It is clear that the NextGen eHospital platform needs to be bridged with W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 8 of 11 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42 a mobile application and the data needs to be made available online, in an easily accessible format.
15. The approvals which are required to be taken for the mobile application to be made available are also be taken in an expedited manner, so that one of the recommendations of the Sarin Committee is given effect to, in respect of timely implementation for availability of emergency health care services in Delhi.
16. A status report dated 12th February, 2026, has also been handed over to the Court on behalf of GNCTD, which has been filed in compliance with the order dated 8th January, 2026, passed by the Court.
17. The said status report is taken on record.
18. In the status report, it is also stated that the NIC has requested for further technical manpower from the GNCTD for enabling the development of the mobile application.
19. In this background, while there is no doubt that various steps are being taken for integration of the hospitals and healthcare centres, insofar as immediate accessibility for Bed- related information in hospitals is concerned, the following directions are issued:
i. Let the ld. Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, GNCTD look into how the NextGen eHospital platform is mandatorily implemented for the purpose of providing information on admissions, in-patient, out-patient services as also at the time of discharge.
ii. Ld. Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, GNCTD shall also look into what steps need to be taken to ensure that the said information on NextGen eHospital platform is utilised by all the 38 W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 9 of 11 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42 hospitals in Delhi which are onboarded, and a proper mandate be issued to these hospitals to implement the NextGen eHospital platform fully in their respective establishments. iii. It is unclear whether private hospitals in Delhi are on this platform or not, if not let consultations be held to on-board them and if there are any concerns the same may be discussed with the NIC team; iv. In view of the fact that there are certain impediments being faced in making the mobile application operational on Google play store, let notice be issued to Mr. Neel Mason, ld. Counsel for Google to appear before the Court on the next date of hearing, with the details of at least one person from Google, who can assist the Health and Family Welfare Department, GNCTD, in onboarding of the mobile application with the Google play store.
iv. In order to give further assistance in this regard, Mr. Zameem Khan, IT Officer of the Delhi High Court shall help Mr. Prashant Gupta, Technical Officer, Health and Family Welfare Department, GNCTD, in fixing the technical issues, if any, in on-boarding of the mobile application.
v. With respect to the request made by the NIC for further technical manpower, the Court notes that the NIC team which is present in Court today, requests for four technical persons to be made available. Accordingly, let the said four technical persons, as may be required by the NIC be made available by the Health and Family Welfare Department, GNCTD within one week from the date of this order. If such manpower is not available with the Department itself, the Department is free to engage the same on contractual basis and W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 10 of 11 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42 make them available to NIC within ten days.
20. Let a further status report in respect of the functioning and on-boarding of the mobile application be filed by the next date of hearing.
21. It is already 4.45 pm. No time left to hear on the further issues in respect of which directions were issued on the last date.
22. List on 16th April, 2026.
23. Let updated status reports be filed all the parties, if required, in respect of the other directions issued in the previous order.
PRATHIBA M. SINGH, J.
MANMEET PRITAM SINGH ARORA, J.
FEBRUARY 13, 2026 dj/ss W.P.(C) 3903/2017 & connected matters Page 11 of 11 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 16/02/2026 at 20:36:42