Tanvi Sinha
The Delhi High Court issued a notice responding to a plea that sought directions to pay salaries of the sanitation workers in Delhi till January 2021. The plea was filed against the Delhi government, the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis and the Delhi Commission for National Karamcharis.
A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued the notice on Thursday after petitioner Harnam Singh brought the plea to the court on Wednesday.
Singh sought guidance from the court as to get the respondents to fulfil their responsibilities under the constitution, the national commission for Safai Karamcharis act and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act 2013.
The plea asks the respondents to ensure that health insurance be given not only to the sanitation workers but also to their families. The plea was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2020 April, after the centre said they were following all guidelines given by the WHO.
However, regarding this order, Singh stated that the administration of all states and union territories in India should also provide safety equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, and on seeing that they didn’t, they then appealed to the High Court.