Snehal Upadhyay –
Published on August 05, 2021, at 02:20 PM
The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Centre seeking its response on a PIL filed for strict compliance of manual scavenging law.
The PIL (Public Interest Litigation) is filed by Advocate Amit Sahni.
A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh gave allowance to the application filed by the petitioner claiming proceedings against Union of India as a party and the Court has directed the Centre to file a counter-affidavit.
Making a reliance on the recent statement made by Mr Ramdas Athawale, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, that from the past five years there is no record of death due to manual scavenging.
This statement was made during the 254th Rajya Sabha Session on 28th July 2021.
The application states that the Centre is accountable to answer to the Court as it has established State Channelling Agencies (SCAs) in different States and UTs for looking after the issue of manual scavenging and still the government has “utterly failed to control the same”.
The application strictly contends that the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, are not being adhered to properly.
“That in view of the aforesaid statement made before the upper house of the Parliament, the petitioner has serious apprehensions that the Central Committee (constituted under the Act) headed by the Union Minister has failed to achieve its purpose.” The application reads.
The matter will be heard on 17th September.