17 Disabled Children Dead: Madhya Pradesh HC Issues Notices

The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has stepped in after the deaths of 17 specially-abled children at Ankit Sewadham Ashram in Ujjain triggered outrage and concern across the state.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, the court has issued notices to senior administrative officials and sought detailed replies within two weeks. The development signals the judiciary’s serious view of the tragedy, especially as the deaths continued over several months despite earlier intervention by authorities.

Notices have been sent to the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, the Principal Secretary and Commissioner of the Women and Child Development Department, the Ujjain Collector, Superintendent of Police, District Women and Child Development Officer, and the operator of Sewadham Ashram. The court has directed them to explain the circumstances that led to the deaths and the steps taken to prevent further loss of life.

The chain of events began on December 25, 2025, when 86 children with multiple disabilities were shifted from the Yug Purush Ashram in Indore to Ankit Sewadham Ashram, located around 22 kilometres from Ujjain city.

At the Yug Purush Dham Ashram, 10 children had died, and over 60 others had fallen ill. Acting on the situation, then Indore Collector Ashish Singh revoked the recognition of the ashram and ordered the relocation of 86 children to Ujjain. The move was seen as an emergency corrective step meant to protect the children.

However, in the 14 months following the transfer, 17 of those children aged between 10 and 18 years died at Sewadham Ashram.

Police registered a case, conducted post-mortems, and launched an investigation. But as concerns deepened, the High Court decided to treat the matter as a public interest litigation.

Doctors who treated the children described their condition as deeply worrying. Dr Chinmay Chincholekar, Resident Medical Officer at Charak Bhawan Hospital, said many of the children were brought in extremely critical condition.

“Some were brought dead. Others died during treatment. In most cases, severe anaemia was a major factor,” he stated.

Medical experts have indicated that several of the children were already severely malnourished and medically fragile. Many were living with multiple disabilities, making them highly vulnerable to infections and complications.

Sudhir Bhai Goyal, director of Sewadham Ashram, said that many of the children transferred from Indore were unable to walk or stand and suffered from breathing problems, seizures, and complications linked to blood deficiency and prolonged immobility.

He added that the ashram currently houses around 250 destitute and disabled children, and claimed that over 50 of them are in extremely critical condition.