On June 2, 2025, the Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra State Government to implement preventive measures to avoid flooding at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Parel during the monsoon season. This order follows a suo motu public interest litigation initiated after media reports and photographs depicted patients wading through ankle-deep water in the hospital’s premises during a recent downpour.

The court’s vacation bench, comprising Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan, expressed serious concern over the incident, highlighting the risks to patient safety and the disruption of medical services. In response, the Assistant Dean of KEM Hospital, through government pleader Priyabhushan Kakade, assured the court of forthcoming corrective actions. The court also emphasized the necessity of BMC’s involvement, as the civic body is responsible for infrastructure maintenance and flood prevention.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for June 16, 2025, and has instructed both the state government and BMC to submit detailed affidavits outlining the immediate and long-term measures they plan to undertake to prevent such incidents in the future.

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