Twelve years after a New Year’s Eve that allegedly turned a state-run shelter into a scene of disturbing excess, the Bombay High Court has ordered a fresh inquiry into what it called an “uninvestigated and shocking” episode involving liquor, bar dancers, and the presence of 26 mentally challenged girls—none of whom were meant to be there.
The party, held on December 31, 2012, inside Agrawal Hall at the Mankhurd Children Aid Society shelter home, was flagged in a 2014 Public Interest Litigation by social worker Sangeeta Sandeep Punekar. Her plea painted a grim picture: a late-night party held without authorization, liquor flowing freely, dancers performing, and vulnerable minors being returned to their wards only after 3 a.m.—all under the apparent watch of blindfolded oversight.
A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne, clearly unimpressed with the State’s record on the matter, directed the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities to investigate and submit a detailed report to the Maharashtra government within six weeks. The government must then act on the findings and return to the Court with a compliance report in three months.
But the judges didn’t hold back their frustration. “A petition cannot be kept pending like this for 11 years,” the Bench admonished. “You cannot protect wrongdoers. Action has to be taken.”
They didn’t stop there. When State authorities suggested they’d “find out” what happened, the Court snapped: “You should be ashamed of your officers. You have the guts to say that?”
The original PIL had triggered early court orders in 2014 directing the Crime Branch to investigate and mandating the formation of a monitoring committee with members from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Child Welfare Committee. Whistleblowers, some of whom allegedly faced threats from top officials, were to be shielded.
And yet, despite those early moves, the investigation fell silent. The Trombay police gave the event organizers a clean chit, and the matter was allowed to quietly collect dust—until now.
The Court has drawn a clear line: no more delays, no more excuses. What began as a party in the shadows is now headed for the harsh glare of judicial scrutiny.
