Bombay HC pulls up Maharashtra Govt over pregnant women being forced to undergo unsafe deliveries

The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court took suo motu cognizance of reports revealing the plight of pregnant women in the hilly districts of Maharashtra who had to give birth at home without medical assistance.

On December 8, the Division Bench comprising Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Hiten S. Venegavkar Daily Divya Marathi same day. The report found that women in remote areas often resort to unsafe practices during childbirth, such as cutting the umbilical cord with bamboo sticks or razor blades.

“We came across shocking news,” The Bench said. Daily Divya Marathi “Today’s newspaper, December 8, 2025, highlights the plight of pregnant women in the mountainous region.”

According to the report, despite the Maharashtra government spending 771 billion rupees in the last one-and-a-half years on schemes aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality, health facilities in remote areas remain inaccessible. The news included interviews with people who admitted that they cut the umbilical cords with a knife, and in the case of a stillbirth, “Even when the child died in the womb, the fetus was cut into pieces with the help of a knife and those parts were removed” in the news.

It was also mentioned that women were sometimes given liquor to ease labor pains, “…if the labor pains do not go away, then they make women drink Mahua liquor.”

A 40-year-old woman reportedly told the newspaper that she cut the umbilical cord herself with a knife during her eighth pregnancy.

The judges expressed concern about the failure of government programs to reach vulnerable populations, stating, “If the Government spends so much money on programs and the programs do not reach every corner and every citizen, then such a program cannot be said to be successful.”

Government Advocate AB Girase, speaking on behalf of the state, admitted that such vacancies may exist not only in Nandurbar district but also in Kinwat in Nanded district. He assured the court that he would collect the instructions and submit relevant data.

However, the Board underlined the State’s constitutional obligation: “We are of the opinion that the Government is obliged to provide good health facilities to the citizens and that this should reach every citizen. Special attention needs to be paid to women and children.”

The order stated that ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers and other staff were deployed under government schemes to educate pregnant women, but their absence in tribal areas amounted to systemic failure.

Judges said, “People have been appointed to explain the precautions that pregnant women should take, how their periodic check-ups should be, how their nutrition should be, etc. However, if such people are not ready to serve in tribal areas, then we can say that this is a failure of the government first and then of the programme.”

Treating the matter as a Suo Motu PIL, the Bench issued specific directions: “We hold that the news in question is a Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation and direct the Government Advocate to record necessary data with statements of the relevant government officials on or before December 19, 2025.”

The judges added: “We intend to make a more detailed decision after considering these affidavits.”

To assist the court, advocate Geeta Deshpande was appointed as Amicus Curiae to review the matter and file an appropriate petition after considering the affidavits to be submitted.

The matter was sent for further hearing on December 19, 2025.