Patna High Court fixes November 19 as next hearing in Bihar ‘dustbin scam’

There are 3 types of waste bins for waste sorting: blue for normal, green for wet and yellow for recyclable waste. File | Photo credit: Getty Images

In a public interest litigation (PIL) on the alleged ‘dustbin scam’ in Bihar, the Patna High Court on Tuesday (Oct 06, 2026) fixed November 19 as the next date of hearing in the case. The court also granted the Bihar government till November 3 to file a counter-affidavit in the case. A division bench of Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice Harish Kumar is hearing a PIL filed by Kaushalesh Kumar.

The “Binster Scam”, which went viral on social media through a video report dated August 2026, refers to the alleged purchase of plastic dustbins of various sizes by Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL) during the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime when BJP leader Mangal Pandey was the state health minister for the estimated cost of biomedical waste collection at the hospital. ₹307 crore.

Mr. Kumar’s petition alleges that the dustbins were purchased for government hospitals at around 10 times the prevailing market price. The petition claims that the 75 liter microwavable dustbin was purchased for ₹15,490 against its market price of ₹1,550. Similarly, a 45 liter microwavable dustbin was purchased for ₹ 11,474 at a market price of only ₹ 1,162. The tender floated by BMSICL was awarded to Lucknow-based SS Medical System, the petition said. The petitioner is represented by Senior Advocate Sanjeev Kumar Mishra.

The PIL further alleged that even biodegradable bags were purchased at exorbitant prices – 75-litre biodegradable bags were purchased at ₹98 per unit against the market price of about ₹8.50 per unit; The 45-litre bags were bought at ₹69 per unit against the market price of about ₹5.75 per unit, the company said. All purchase orders were issued between June 2024 and April 18, 2026.

Mr. Pandey, the BJP in-charge of Assam, is the MLA from Siwan and has been the state health minister several times. He declined to comment on the alleged fraud. Nishant Kumar, son of former Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) supremo Nitish Kumar, is the incumbent Minister of State for Health.

The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) called the BJP “garbage can eaters” and Rohini Acharya, the Singapore-based second daughter of party chief Lalu Prasad, took to social media to ask: “Is this a box for storing garbage or a new ploy to empty the government’s coffers?”

RJD state general secretary and party spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan said on Wednesday (October 7) that he could not comment on the matter as it was a judicial proceeding. But he added, “It is a fact that corruption has skyrocketed under the NDA governments. Not only are they stealing public money, they are also stealing votes and voting rights.”

Published – 7 Oct 2026 20:42 IST