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Safai Karamchari Andolan and Others v. Union of India and Others

Writ Petition (Civil) · Neutral citation not assigned (Writ Petition (Civil) No. 583 of 2003)Decided 27 Mar 2014
Writ Petition (Civil) No. 583 of 2003
Chief Justice P. Sathasivam · Justice Ranjan Gogoi · Justice N.V. Ramana

Background

Organisations and members of the manual-scavenging community sought enforcement of the prohibition on manual scavenging and rehabilitation of those forced into it. Despite years of legislation and court directions, governments had failed to identify and assist many affected people. While the petition remained pending, Parliament enacted the 2013 law prohibiting manual scavenging and providing for rehabilitation.

Decision Breakdown

The Court directed States and Union Territories to implement the 2013 Act fully, rehabilitate identified manual scavengers and act against violations. Its directions covered financial assistance, education support, housing and alternative livelihoods subject to the statutory schemes and eligibility requirements. It called for an end to railway-track manual scavenging and required safe sewer work, directing compensation of ₹10 lakh for each sewer death and identification of dependent families of people who had died in sewerage work since 1993. The Court disposed of the petition, ending its monitoring while allowing aggrieved people to approach the authorities and then the jurisdictional High Court.

Lesson Learnt

Ending manual scavenging requires both stopping the prohibited work and enabling affected workers and families to live with dignity through rehabilitation. This 2014 judgment created concrete implementation and sewer-death compensation duties; its stated compensation figure describes the order made at that time.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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