Artemis Lite Hospital Case: NHRC Steps In | The Probe Impact
Artemis Lite Hospital Case: NHRC orders the Delhi Health Department to submit a report on the hospital amid allegations of licence violations and corruption.
Artemis Lite Hospital Under Scrutiny as NHRC Directs Delhi Health Department to File ATR
In a major escalation in the ongoing Artemis Lite Hospital accountability saga, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has formally intervened and sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Health Department of the Government of NCT of Delhi. Acting on a complaint filed by noted RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, the NHRC has directed the Delhi Health Secretary to conduct an inquiry into allegations of corruption, collusion and human rights violations involving Artemis Lite Hospital and a senior DGHS official.
The Commission has termed the allegations “serious violations of the human rights of the victim” and has mandated that the inquiry report be submitted within 15 days. This marks yet another significant development in the widening controversy surrounding Artemis Lite Hospital and the Delhi government’s regulatory mechanisms.
This intervention by the NHRC is significant not only because it places Artemis Lite Hospital in New Friends Colony in Delhi under renewed scrutiny, but also because it is unusual for the Commission to step into a case dealing with lapses in licensing, hospital governance and administrative failure—areas typically left to regulatory bodies. The Commission’s decision highlights that public health failures, especially those involving misleading conduct and denial of lawful dues to a patient’s family, amount to human rights violations. It also indicates that when a case involves a vulnerable citizen dealing with powerful hospital entities, as in the Artemis Lite Hospital matter, the NHRC views its mandate as extending to ensuring fairness, accountability and transparency.
This latest action by the NHRC follows another major development first reported by The Probe—the Central Information Commission’s (CIC) order penalising the DGHS in the Artemis Lite Hospital licensing case. In January 2025, the CIC had reprimanded the DGHS for misleading an RTI applicant and failing to comply with statutory obligations. This earlier intervention had already placed the Health Department under intense scrutiny, and the NHRC’s fresh involvement adds yet another layer of accountability pressure on the administration.
Also Read: CIC Imposes Penalty on DGHS in Artemis Hospital Case, The Probe Impact
CIC Penalty Deepens Scrutiny Over DGHS and Artemis Hospital
The CIC’s earlier order had marked a turning point in the case. The Commission found that the DGHS had provided false information in response to an RTI regarding whether Artemis Lite Hospital possessed a valid licence during the treatment of Shikha Aggarwal in April 2023. Despite documentary evidence showing that the hospital’s licence was issued only on August 1, 2023, months after the treatment, the DGHS had incorrectly claimed that a valid licence existed during the hospitalisation period.
Taking serious note of this contradiction, the CIC held that the DGHS had violated the RTI Act by withholding accurate information and by compelling the applicant, senior citizen Sanjeev Kumar, to repeatedly chase officials for clarity. The Commission highlighted the DGHS’s “nonchalant attitude” and its disregard for procedural rules. This criticism extended to the department’s reluctance to address whether Artemis Lite Hospital had indeed operated without authorisation during the period in question.
The CIC consequently directed the DGHS to compensate Sanjeev Kumar with ₹45,000 for the harassment and inconvenience caused due to the misleading RTI response. The directive also required the department to file a compliance report promptly. This was accompanied by another strong measure: the imposition of a ₹15,000 penalty on Dr. Sandeep Kumar Agarwal, Medical Superintendent and then PIO, for failing to comply with the RTI Act. The penalty was ordered to be deducted directly from his salary, highlighting the seriousness with which the CIC viewed the violation.
These findings had also brought renewed attention to the licensing lapses concerning the hospital. The DGHS itself admitted during proceedings that the premises now occupied by Artemis Lite Hospital were earlier licensed to Bansal Hospital until March 31, 2023. Since Artemis Hospital obtained its licence only on August 1, 2023, a critical question remained unanswered: how did the hospital operate uninterrupted for four months without regulatory approval? This gap, exposed through RTI documents and later echoed in the CIC’s findings, raised disturbing concerns about the DGHS’s oversight and its possible leniency towards private hospitals.
The CIC’s order also underscored the consequences of increasing privatisation of healthcare services and the DGHS’s responsibility to prevent private hospitals from evading accountability mechanisms under the RTI Act. The Commission emphasised that regulatory authorities like the DGHS are empowered to obtain information from private hospitals for compliance purposes, countering the DGHS’s earlier claim that Artemis Lite Hospital could not be compelled to share license-related data. The CIC further recommended amendments mandating public hearings before renewal of hospital licences, and prohibiting ex post facto approvals—measures that directly impact cases such as that of the Artemis Lite Hospital. However, the petitioners have complained that so far there has been no compliance related to the CIC's order. A non-compliance petition has been filed in the case which will come up for hearing before the CIC on 19 December 2025.
Also Read: Artemis Hospital Licensing: DGHS Under Fire
Background: How Artemis Hospital Came Under the Scanner
The controversy can be traced back to a series of systemic failures within the DGHS that came to light following a tragic fire at Baby Care New Born Hospital in May 2024, which killed eight infants. Investigations revealed that the hospital was operating with an expired licence, prompting serious questions about the DGHS’s monitoring systems. This case set the backdrop against which the Artemis Lite Hospital’s story unfolded, raising concerns about whether similar regulatory lapses were widespread.
Against this context, Delhi resident Sanjeev Kumar filed an RTI petition in October 2023 seeking clarity on whether Artemis Lite Hospital had the necessary licence during his wife’s treatment in April 2023. The DGHS initially responded affirmatively and enclosed a registration certificate, but the certificate was dated August 1, 2023. This discrepancy formed the basis of suspicions that the hospital was functioning without authorisation during the treatment period. Rather than acknowledging this lapse, the DGHS continued to repeat the hospital’s assertion that it fell outside the purview of the RTI Act—a claim that, as the CIC later observed, was factually incorrect.
Also Read: Delhi Hospital Fire: Eight Babies Burnt to Death, No Justice in Sight
Following a first appeal, the DGHS admitted receiving two letters from Artemis Lite Hospital—one stating information was being collected, and another claiming exemption from the RTI Act as a private entity. Instead of verifying license details already available in its own records, the DGHS forwarded these explanations to the applicant, effectively shielding the hospital from scrutiny. This raised troubling questions about whether the regulatory body was protecting Artemis Lite Hospital rather than ensuring legal compliance.
When the matter reached the CIC as a second appeal, RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal representing Sanjeev Kumar pointed out the contradictory DGHS responses and highlighted that a licence cannot be issued retrospectively. The CIC agreed, calling the DGHS’s conduct obstructive and negligent. It issued show-cause notices, directed the DGHS to process the applicant’s compensation claim and made significant observations about the duty of regulators to enforce transparency. Yet, even after these directives, the DGHS astonishingly advised the applicant to approach a consumer court—prompting further criticism.
The DGHS also confirmed during the proceedings that Bansal Hospital had held the licence for the premises until March 31, 2023, and that Artemis Lite Hospital only received its licence on August 1, 2023. This meant that the hospital was operating without a valid licence during the period when Shikha Aggarwal underwent surgery—a fact now central to both the CIC and NHRC interventions. The revelations have triggered questions about how many more hospitals in Delhi may be operating without licences, and the wider implications of DGHS oversight failures.
