India, March 26 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an inspection of Apollo hospital to scrutinise its records and to ascertain whether it has been providing free treatment and hospital beds to poor patients over the past five years, in fulfilment of the lease deed requirement binding the hospital, which got land at a symbolic lease amount of Rs.1 per month.

The court was hearing an appeal filed by the Indraprastha Medical Corporation Limited (IMCL), that runs the Apollo hospital, challenging a September 22, 2009 order of the Delhi high court in a public interest litigation filed by All India Lawyers Union alleging that medical facilities are not being provided to the poor by the Apollo hospital.

Directing the Centre and the Delhi g...