India, June 23 -- Coming down heavily on the Maharashtra government over the drinking water crisis in Melghat, the Bombay High Court on Monday said it was shocking that citizens were still being forced to approach courts for access to drinking water 75 years after Independence. It directed the state to submit an immediately implementable plan to ensure potable water reaches every village resident.

A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata made the observations while hearing a batch of Public Interest Litigations (PIL) on malnutrition among tribal children and maternal deaths in the tribal belt of Melghat and Dharni in Vidarbha.

It took serious note of the deaths of 13 people and the hospitalisation of 86 others after they ...