Malnutrition: HC refers to Maha govt impasse, CM during hearing

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said it was not getting satisfactory answers from officials on the issue of malnutrition in Maharashtra because the state has a "caretaker (government) arrangement" as "duly elected MLAs of the largest party and their alliance partner are yet to elect their government".

A division bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and R I Chagla was hearing a bunch of Public Interest Litigations highlighting a hike in malnutrition deaths and illnesses among those living in Melghat region of Vidarbha and other tribal areas of the state.

The bench said the government, for the last five years, had a chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) who is from Vidarbha region but still the condition of people living there has not improved.

The court observed, "The state has a caretaker arrangement and duly elected MLAs of the largest party and their alliance partner are yet to elect their government. (State) officials in the court could not satisfactorily answer the questions."