Jharkhand HC orders FIR for HIV transmission via infected blood transfusions to minors.
Haryana HC mandates sealing illegal mining site, accountability for environmental plundering.
NGT forms joint committee to probe, remediate illegal muck dumping in River Myntdu.
The Jharkhand High Court February 4, 2026 ordered the immediate registration of a First Information Report (FIR) in the case where five minor Thalassemia patients contracted HIV after receiving infected blood transfusion at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital Blood Bank in 2025.
A bench of Justice Gautam Kumar Chaudhary, hearing the petition filed on behalf of the children, directed the police to register the FIR. The court further instructed that a copy of the FIR be provided to the complainants and submitted before the court through a counter-affidavit.
Any of the petitioners through their guardian could "lodge a written report before the concerned police station, which would be registered without any delay and a copy of the same would be given to the informant". Then a copy of the written report should be filed before the High Court, by way of a counter affidavit by the officer-in-charge of the concerned police station said the order.
Further prayer has been made to constitute a Special Investigation Team to be monitored by the Jharkhand High Court to conduct a thorough, impartial and timebound investigation into the incident and to fix criminal liability against the persons responsible for the offence.
It was submitted by counsel for the petitioners that due to acts and omissions on the part of the persons in-charge of the blood bank, life of five minor children has been imperiled, as they contacted HIV virus due to blood transfusion done from the concerned blood bank. Infected blood will come in view of the definition under Section 3(b) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The use of spurious drugs is a cognisable offence under Section 36AC of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
Despite a written report filed by Dusru Kunkal before officer in-charge of Chaibasa Sadar Police Station, West Singhbhum, an FIR has not been lodged, according to the petitioners.
Counsel for the state has submitted that as per instruction, no such complaint was given to the officer in-charge by any of the petitioners or their guardians and, consequently, the case could not be lodged.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court January 31, 2026 directed the Haryana government to explain how "how the state proposes to deal with the vast extent of environmental plundering" caused by unauthorised mining in Pichopa Kalan village in Charkhi Dadri district. The area falls in the Aravallis.
It is not solely the duty of private individuals; officials who were tasked with upholding the law and failed to do so must also be identified and held accountable according to legal standards. The state must also propose strategies to prevent the widespread exploitation and misuse of natural resources under the guise of mining.
The bench of justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Rohit Kapoor directed the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to be impleaded as respondent in the writ petition. The court asked the Secretary to take note of the larger concerns noticed in the order and file an affidavit suggesting measures to be taken to redress the situation.
Directions were also given to the chief secretary of Haryana to summon the entire record with regard to mining in question and ensure that a copy of it is sent to the registrar-general of the court. The court warned that in case it is not satisfied with the response of the state, it may consider the question of referring the investigation to an appropriate independent agency.
The chief secretary of the Government of Haryana should ensure that the entire mining area is sealed. The sealing operation would be undertaken within 48 hours by the Deputy Commissioner, Charki Dadri himself and would get the entire process videographed. The HC also called upon the Director, Haryana Space Application Centre, Citizen Resources Information Department to place on record the satellite imagery of the mining site in question from 2016 onwards, year wise, till date. The court will next hear the case on February 25, 2026.
The court-appointed Advocate Commissioner Kanwal Goyal inspected the site on December 6, 2025 in the presence of officials of the state, including the mining officer of the district concerned.
Khasra number 109 and 110 in Pichopa Kalan village is recorded in the revenue record as gair mumkin pahad. The jamabandi (record of rights with information about ownership of the land) has also been placed on record which would reveal that these plots on which mining permit has been granted is actually a hill.
The Advocate Commissioner has found loose, unstable, non-cohesive hill slopes; potential sliding surfaces; no constructed or maintained pathways. The photographs reveal large scale destruction in the land mass which has occurred with deep fissures posing a serious threat. Many areas have been found as barren with loose soil.
Goyal also reported that the integrity of the mining block boundary is compromised. Mining site stretches far beyond the areas earmarked for the mining purposes by the private respondents. He found terrain to be unstable and posed serious safety concerns. The advocate observed soil collapse and the deep central pit with a large amount of water accumulated over an area of 1.07 hectares.
“It prima-facie appears to be a case of blatant violation of Environmental norms contained in the Environmental Clearance Certificate as well as mining plan causing loot and plunder of natural resources,” said the order.
“The other unfortunate aspect noticed by us is the callousness on part of the State authorities in discharge of their duties which has led to such an unfortunate situation. At this stage, we cannot rule out connivance on the part of the responsible officers who were entrusted with the duty to ensure compliance of laws,” stated the order.
No action at the level of the director-general has followed, indicating the officer’s apathy towards violations in the mining area, the order said.
NGT February 4, 2026 directed constitution of a joint committee to verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action in the matter of dumping of muck generated during construction of road thereby causing damage to River Myntdu ecology, affecting aquatic life, flora and fauna in Jowai, West Jaintia Hills district.
The joint committee would comprise representatives of Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (water resources); Chief Secretary, government of Meghalaya; Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board; Jowai Municipal Board, among others.
The committee has been directed to undertake requisite visits to the sites in question, verify the actual position and take / suggest appropriate remedial action and submit its report with requisite details regarding action already taken and action to be taken with timelines for execution/completion and compliance status in respect of compliance with the environmental norms and contractual obligations by the Public Works Department and executing agencies. Report of the Joint Committee should be filed within one month.
Chief Engineer, PWD (NH), Meghalaya mentioned that requisite remedial measures have been taken for removal of the muck dumped. NGT directed an additional response giving details of the remedial measures taken to be filed by PWD, Meghalaya within three weeks.