The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, on a contempt petition alleging non-compliance with an earlier court order concerning the construction of the permanent medical college building at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML Hospital). Justice Neena Bansal Krishna directed the respondents to file a compliance report within four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on January 6, 2027.

The contempt petition was filed by Social Jurist, represented by advocate Ashok Agarwal. The petition alleges that authorities did not comply with the Delhi High Court Division Bench order dated July 22, 2026, which directed the concerned authorities to consider a representation dated June 22, 2026, take a decision and undertake action as warranted under law “with expedition,” while also communicating the decision to the petitioner.

According to the petition, the permanent medical college building project had received a Government of India sanction of ₹472.96 crore on February 17, 2024. The petitioner has alleged that construction had still not commenced. The matter was reportedly raised after an RTI response dated June 13, 2026 indicated that construction work on the proposed medical college building had not started.

The petition further states that Social Jurist sent a copy of the July 22 order to the authorities on July 24, followed by another communication on August 14 alleging continued non-compliance. An email trail cited in the petition shows that Health Ministry Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava forwarded the communication to Joint Secretaries Vijay Nehra and Ghulam Mustafa for necessary action, after which the matter was referred to the Ministry’s Legal Cell and concerned section.

The petitioner has alleged that no decision on the June 22 representation was communicated and that construction had not commenced. The allegations are yet to be addressed through the respondents’ compliance report. The High Court has granted four weeks for filing the report and will consider the matter further on January 6, 2027.