Inside Court No. 4 of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, tension was visible on Tuesday as a decade-old public interest case unexpectedly turned urgent. What started as a routine follow-up in four pending healthcare-related PILs quickly shifted into a life-or-death matter for heart patients in Jammu.
Background
These petitions some filed over ten years ago seek basic things: stronger medical infrastructure in major urban areas and proper monitoring of private nursing homes and health centres as per Indian health ministry norms. Citizens Forum is leading the charge, represented by advocates SS Ahmed and Supriya Chouhan.
Across the courtroom, the government's legal team, including Senior AAG Monika Kohli and AAG Ravinder Gupta, looked cautious as judges reviewed years of reports 15 compliance affidavits, to be exact that have delivered “no tangible results,” as the bench put it.
Court’s Observations
Justice Rajnesh Oswal, sitting alongside Chief Justice Arun Palli, acknowledged the grim picture painted by the Amicus Curiae, Mr. SS Ahmed. He shared the latest trouble: a newspaper report stating that all cardiac procedures at Government Super Speciality Hospital (GSSH), Jammu had come to a grinding halt because private suppliers stopped providing essential items like stents and pacemakers due to unpaid dues of nearly ₹30 crore under the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme.
Normally, around 25 heart surgeries or interventions happen there every day. On Monday, not a single one. Vulnerable patients were left waiting, helpless, and quite frankly, scared.
The bench didn’t hide its concern.
“Ex facie, the matter is highly sensitive,” the Court remarked, adding that it was “impelled to take suo motu cognizance” of the crisis.
One could feel the urgency this wasn’t a typical slow-paced PIL proceeding anymore. A humanitarian situation was unfolding just a few kilometres away.
Decision
The Court ordered the Registrar (Judicial) to open a fresh suo motu case titled “Court on its own motion vs. Nemo” and list it immediately before the same bench. It also granted the Amicus a short time to compile all filings and suggest concrete actions. And with that, the proceedings were briefly deferred to 29 December 2025 for urgent follow-up.
Case Title:- Citizens Forum vs. State of J&K and others
