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SC Bans Manual Scavenging & Manual Sewer Cleaning in 6 Metro Cities

The court set a deadline of February 13 for the chief executive officer, or an officer of equivalent rank, of each metropolitan city to file an affidavit detailing how and when the practice will be stopped in their respective cities.

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SC Bans Manual Scavenging & Manual Sewer Cleaning in 6 Metro Cities

SC Bans Manual Scavenging & Manual Sewer Cleaning in 6 Metro Cities

In a drastic move, the Supreme Court, on January 29, directed a ban on manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in six metropolitan cities in a writ petition seeking the eradication of manual scavenging in India.

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The apex court, while referring to the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, orally expressed that it was “fed up” with seeking compliance, which had remained merely academic in nature (Live Law).

“Therefore, we hereby order that manual sewer cleaning and manual scavenging shall be stopped in the following metropolitan cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad,” the court order read.

The court set a deadline of February 13 for the chief executive officer, or an officer of equivalent rank, of each metropolitan city to file an affidavit detailing how and when the practice will be stopped in their respective cities.

The court’s order came in response to the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Balram Singh, who raised issues regarding the non-implementation of the 1993 Act.

“Can we say it today that manual scavenging is banned from today onwards? We are fed up with orders. We are directing. Either do it or face consequences,” the court stated.

Central Govt.’s Report ‘Not Encouraging’

Last year, on December 11, a bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar had directed the Union government to convene a meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee, along with the respective states’ stakeholders, within two weeks to assess the extent of compliance with the court’s October 2023 order.

The Union government filed a status report based on the October 2023 order, which the apex court found “not encouraging at all.”

On January 29, the Union government again filed a fresh affidavit, stating that 456 out of the 775 districts in the country no longer practised manual scavenging. When Justice Kumar inquired about the performance of NCT Delhi, it was revealed that Delhi had not complied with the order, according to reports.

In its October 2023 order, the SC had asked all states and UTs to ensure that their guidelines and frameworks reflected those of the Union government. “All states and Union Territories are likewise directed to ensure that all departments, agencies, corporations, and other bodies (by whatever name called) ensure that the guidelines and directions framed by the Union are embodied in their own guidelines and directions; the states are specifically directed to ensure that such directions are applicable to all municipalities and local bodies functioning within their territories,” the order read.

Also Read: Issuing Sc. 144 Whenever There Is a Protest Sends Wrong Signal: Supreme Court

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