The Punjab and Haryana High Court has temporarily stopped the admission of senior citizens to the Group Home in Sector 31, Chandigarh, until further orders. The court said the Chandigarh administration should first create awareness about the facility, which was mainly built to help people with mental illness.
The decision came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the High Court. The court also directed the administration to improve facilities and ensure enough support staff are available for residents.
The Group Home in Sector 31 was originally meant for mentally ill persons who need care and support. However, due to fewer admissions in recent years, the Chandigarh administration had decided to allow senior citizens to use some of the vacant seats.
The High Court has now asked the administration to wait before opening fresh admissions for elderly people and instead focus on helping mentally ill persons understand and access the facility.
On April 28, the Chandigarh administration decided to open half of the 80 available seats in the Group Home for senior citizens.
Officials said the decision was taken because only a small number of mentally ill persons were seeking admission to the centre. Since many beds remained empty, the administration believed allowing senior citizens to stay there would help make better use of the building and facilities.
However, the matter later reached the High Court through a PIL titled Jatinder Maan and others versus UT Chandigarh and others.
The petition raised concerns about changing the purpose of a facility that was specially designed for mentally ill persons.
After hearing the case, a division bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjeev Berry passed an interim order.
The court directed the Chandigarh administration to widely spread awareness about the Group Home for mentally ill persons for a period of three months.
The judges said that many people may not know such a facility exists, and because of this, mentally ill persons who need care may not be applying for admission.
The court stressed that before opening more seats to senior citizens, the administration should first ensure that the original purpose of the facility is fully served.
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The High Court instructed the administration to run awareness campaigns for at least three months to inform people about the services available at the Group Home.
The court also directed authorities to provide mentally ill persons with enough time to apply for admission.
For this reason, the administration has been asked to keep an application window open for at least two months after spreading awareness.
Until this process is completed, no fresh admissions for senior citizens can take place.
The judges believed this step would give mentally ill persons and their families a fair chance to learn about the facility and seek help if needed.
The court felt that a lack of awareness may be one of the major reasons behind the low number of admissions.
By giving more publicity to the facility, the administration may be able to identify people who actually need support and care.
Although the High Court paused fresh admissions for senior citizens, it also clarified that people who had already applied before the court order would not face problems.
The judges said applications already submitted by senior citizens should still be processed.
This means those elderly people who had already applied can still be admitted to the facility after proper checks.
However, the administration cannot accept any new applications from senior citizens until the matter is heard again by the court.
This temporary pause will remain in place until the next hearing or until the court issues fresh instructions.
The order aims to balance both concerns — protecting the original purpose of the Group Home while also considering senior citizens who had already shown interest.
During the hearing, the High Court also looked into how the facility is being managed.
The bench noted that the executive committee of the UTTHAAN Group Home Society, which manages the centre, had reportedly not held meetings since November.
The judges said such long gaps in meetings were not proper for an institution responsible for vulnerable people.
The court ordered that a meeting of the executive committee should take place within the next week.
The aim is to ensure better planning, monitoring and management of the facility.
The High Court also directed the administration to ensure proper availability of Class Four staff, who handle daily support work and maintenance inside such institutions.
These workers play an important role in caring for residents by helping with cleanliness, support services and everyday needs.
The court said enough staff members should be available so that residents receive proper care and the centre functions smoothly.
For now, senior citizen admissions to the Group Home are on hold, except for applications already submitted before the court order.
The Chandigarh administration must now focus on increasing awareness and encouraging mentally ill persons who may need residential care to apply.
After the awareness campaign and application period end, the matter may again come before the High Court.
At that stage, the judges may review whether enough mentally ill persons have applied and whether extra seats can later be opened for senior citizens.
The case highlights an important question faced by governments and institutions — how to make full use of public facilities while also protecting their original purpose.
For now, the High Court has made it clear that the needs of mentally ill persons must remain the first priority at the Chandigarh Group Home.
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