Gujarat High Court Permits Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation To Reduce Bed Capacity In 95-Yr-Old Hospital To Complete Renovation

The Gujarat High Court on Friday (January 16) permitted Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to reduce the bed capacity at the corporation run Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai Hospital and Chinai Hospital–stated to be in dilapidated condition–in order to complete the renovation works, as a temporary arrangement. 

The court was hearing an application filed by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in a 2020 PIL to seek modification of earlier orders dated 12-9-2022 and 19-9-2022 passed in writ petition to the extent of the observation made therein that Sheth VS Hospital (founded in 1931) and Chinai Hospital run by Corporation consisting of 500 beds would not be demolished. The orders had also stated that the hospital will continue to operate with requisite infrastructure facilities.

After hearing the matter, a division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice DN Ray in its order dictated:

"The report of the structural engineers and photographs showing damaged caused to building are appended with the application. Taking note of the above we are of the view that application deserves to be allowed.The applicant corporation is permitted to reduce the number of beds to accommodate in-patients, from 500 to 203 beds, as a temporary arrangement subject to the condition that during course of renovation efforts will be made to increase capacity to accommodate as many hospital beds as possible, at least 500 beds as stated before us. With the above the modification application seeking for partial modification of the orders dated 12-9-2022 and 19-9-2022 is allowed to the above extent".

For context the PIL was filed in 2020 against the decision to demolish certain blocks of the Sheth VS Hospital and Chinai Hospital (which are linked facilities) and reduction of beds. The plea was ultimately dismissed as withdrawn in 2023 on the statement made by the PIL petitioner as no cause of action survived. 

The Corporation submitted that the modification application was filed because over a period of time, the building wherein hospital is being run has become "dilapidated".

The application stated that AMC got a report from structural engineer in 2023 which regard to structural stability of the hospital building wherein it was stated that all sections of Chinai Maternity Home and tower building of the Sheth VS Hospital are in need of a comprehensive restoration. 

"The contention is that in light of the said report the two buildings in hospital need is in dire need of renovations. On 16-6-2025 the board of management resolved to renovate the hospital, tower building, specifically ward 1-6 which came to be approved by corporation on 12-8-2025. It is stated that during course of renovation, the same would be inaccessible and unusable to the patients as a result of which the in hose patient capacity would be reduced temporarily to 203 beds. It is further stated that this reduction in in patient capacity is only temporary and the corporation undertakes to complete the renovation work to restore/renovate the hospital for operational capacity of 507 beds within a period of two years," the court noted. 

Case title: AHMEDABAD MUNICIPAL CORPORATION v/s KHEMCHAND RAJARAM KOSHTI & ORS.

MCA/1/2025 IN CA/1/2022 IN R/WPPIL/123/2020