Rajasthan HC Rejects Cyclostyled Affidavits From Shelter Home Officials, Directs District-Wise Status Reports With Photographs
The Division Bench found affidavits filed by Nari Niketan and Balika Grah superintendents were mere template documents, not reflecting actual conditions at each facility.
The High Court of Judicature for Rajasthan's Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sanjeet Purohit, on 14 July 2026 declined to accept affidavits filed by officials responsible for Nari Niketans, Balika Grahs, Bal Griahs, and Foster Homes across Rajasthan. The bench found the documents to be “mere cyclostyled documents where signatures have been put” by the concerned officers, falling short of directions the court had issued on 13 May 2026. Officials from dozens of districts across Rajasthan were present in court on the date of this order. The bench directed each officer to furnish district-specific actual requirements and the present status of their respective facility, along with photographs, before the next date of hearing on 20 July 2026.
Three Proceedings Heard Together
The order was passed across three connected proceedings. The first is D.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 8849/2025, a suo moto proceeding initiated by the Jaipur bench titled Suo Moto — In Re — In The Matter Of Grievance Of The Girls Staying In Balika Grah v. Union Of India. The second is D.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 7626/2025, filed at the Jodhpur bench and captioned In Re — Monitoring Of The Shelter Home/Nari Niketan v. The State Of Rajasthan. The third is D.B. Habeas Corpus Petition No. 39/2019, Sangeeta v. State Of Rajasthan, which predates the other two proceedings by several years.
Ms. Anita Rajpurohit appeared as Amicus Curiae. Mr. Bharat Vyas, Senior Advocate and Additional Solicitor General, appeared for the Union of India through video conferencing. State respondents were represented by Mr. Abhishek Sharma with Ms. Pooja Sharma (AAAG), Dr. Praveen Khandelwal (AAG), and Mr. Sandeep Kumar Sharma (Deputy Government Counsel), among others.
What the Court Found Wrong With the Affidavits
The bench had issued specific directions by order dated 13 May 2026, requiring officials to place on record the actual state of affairs at the shelter homes and related facilities under their charge. When the matter came up on 14 July 2026, the affidavits that had been filed did not comply with those directions.
The court's objection was direct: the documents placed on record were identical in form, differing only in the signature of the officer concerned. Such templated affidavits, the bench observed, did not inform the court of the actual requirements of each Nari Niketan, Balika Grah, Bal Griah, or Foster Home in each individual district. The entire purpose of the exercise — to give the court a ground-level picture of conditions and needs across Rajasthan's shelter infrastructure — was defeated by affidavits that were interchangeable across facilities.
A large number of superintendents and district child protection unit officers from across Rajasthan were present in court in person on the date of hearing. Their presence reflected the scope of the monitoring exercise the court has been conducting across the State.
Facilities and Districts Under the Court's Watch
The monitoring exercise spans a wide range of institutions and districts. Nari Niketans (women's shelter homes) in Ajmer, Kota, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Udaipur are covered. Government Observation Homes and Children's Homes in Sikar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Baran, Pratapgarh, Banswara, Dholpur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, and Barmer are also part of the proceedings. District Child Protection Units from Bhilwara, Tonk, Hanumangarh, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Karauli, Bharatpur, Alwar, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sirohi, Bikaner, Jalore, Jaipur, Dausa, Rajsamand, Sawai Madhopur, Pali, Nagaur, Ganganagar, and Udaipur were represented.
Direction Issued
The bench directed that the court must be informed of the actual requirements of each Nari Niketan, Balika Grah, Bal Griah, and Foster Home in each individual district by the concerned officer. Each officer must also apprise the court of the present status of the facility under their responsibility, supported by photographs. The matters were listed for the next hearing on 20 July 2026.