The Kerala High Court has asked the Centre to clarify its position on the state’s decade-long demand for an AIIMS, questioning whether Kerala’s comparatively strong private healthcare sector is being treated as a reason to deny the project. The court granted the central government six weeks to respond to a public interest litigation seeking an AIIMS in Kasaragod district.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar raised the issue during the hearing on Wednesday. The judges asked whether the Centre’s position was that Kerala did not require an AIIMS and questioned whether the presence of a large number of private hospitals could disqualify the state from receiving the premier public healthcare institution.
The PIL was filed by AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma, which is advocating the establishment of the proposed institute in Kasaragod. The petition comes after years of demand for an AIIMS in Kerala, with the state having already recommended two locations for the project, according to the submissions recorded during the hearing.
The deputy solicitor general, appearing for the Centre, told the court that the delay was linked to the state’s comparatively better healthcare sector. The Centre was prioritising states with weaker healthcare systems, the law officer said. The matter is also under consideration through an inter-ministerial consultation, and a Cabinet decision would be necessary before the project could proceed, the court was told.
The bench questioned the basis for the Centre’s position and asked it to identify the specific criteria that Kerala had failed to meet. The court observed that a better healthcare sector should not become a handicap when deciding whether the state needs an AIIMS. It also referred to Kerala’s high population density and the state’s recommendations on possible locations.
During the hearing, the court asked whether Delhi had been given an AIIMS because it had affluent residents and pointed out that some states have more than one AIIMS. The observations placed the dispute within a wider question about how national health infrastructure is allocated and whether existing private capacity can substitute for a major public medical institution.
The proposed AIIMS is being sought as a public healthcare and medical education institution, with Kasaragod identified by the petitioners as the preferred location. The supplied court report does not specify the estimated project cost, construction timeline, land status or the final location recommended by the state apart from noting that two locations had been proposed.
The High Court expressed hope that the Centre would take a conscious decision after considering Kerala’s needs. The central government’s response is now expected within six weeks, after which the court will consider the position placed before it and the criteria governing the project’s approval.
