The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Delhi government, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the shortage of cemeteries and burial grounds for the Christian community in the national capital.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act specifically entrusts the MCD with the responsibility of regulating and maintaining places meant for the disposal of the dead.

The Bench noted that this indicates that providing adequate spaces for citizens to perform last rites, including burial grounds and cemeteries, is among the primary functions of the civic body.

The Court accordingly directed the MCD to furnish details of Christian cemeteries and burial grounds falling within its jurisdiction, along with information regarding the space currently available at these locations.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on November 4.

The order was passed while hearing a PIL filed by the Legal Christians Action Committee, which sought directions to the authorities to identify and allot suitable land in Delhi for a Christian cemetery.

The petition highlighted an alleged acute shortage of burial spaces in the capital. It stated that existing Christian cemeteries at Burari, Patel Chest, Paharganj, Mangolpuri and Prithviraj Road are old and have either reached or are nearing full capacity.

According to the petitioner, the shortage has resulted in families being compelled to transport the mortal remains of deceased relatives to neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, for burial.

The petitioner further told the High Court that it had been approaching the DDA and MCD since June 2025 through several representations as well as an RTI application, but no concrete steps had been taken to address the issue.

The PIL also referred to three locations that had initially been identified by the DDA as possible sites for a Christian cemetery — Khajuri Khas, an area near Rajiv Gandhi Hospital and Sundar Nagri.

While the sites near Rajiv Gandhi Hospital and Sundar Nagri were subsequently ruled out, the Khajuri Khas site was taken up for further processing. However, the petitioner was later informed that the land at Khajuri Khas was not available for allotment.

The petition has been filed through advocates Nagmani Kumar and Abhinav Kumar.