Tricity
Chandigarh: HC postpone senior citizens’ admission in Group Home till further order
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the admission of senior citizens into Chandigarh’s Group Home for the aged until a further order, after the UT administration decided to open 40 of 80 seats due to low demand from mentally ill persons.
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has postponed the admission of senior citizens into the Group Home for the aged in Chandigarh until a further order is issued. The court’s directive follows the UT administration’s plan, announced on April 28, to open 40 of the 80 seats in the facility for senior citizens. The administration cited a low number of admissions from mentally ill persons as the reason for the decision.
The Group Home, located in the city’s Sector 44, was originally designed to accommodate elderly residents with mental health challenges. Over recent months, officials observed that the number of applications from this category has remained minimal, prompting the administration to consider partial activation of the facility. On April 28, the UT administration issued a notice indicating that half of the 80 seats would be made available, with the intention of gradually increasing occupancy as demand emerges.
In response, the High Court issued an interim order halting the admission process. The order does not specify the exact timeline for a final decision, but it instructs the administration to await further instructions before proceeding with any admissions. Legal counsel for the petitioners had raised concerns about the feasibility of the plan and the potential impact on existing residents, though the court’s order does not reference these arguments directly.
The development underscores ongoing debates about the allocation of resources within the city’s senior care infrastructure. While the Group Home was intended to provide specialized care for a segment of the elderly population, the current low uptake has led to questions about the sustainability of such facilities. The UT administration has indicated that it will review the situation periodically and may adjust the number of seats in line with actual demand.
The administration has not released any public statement regarding the impact on residents.
Source: Hindustan Times