
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (18 September) slammed the Central government for not doing enough to prevent deaths of manual scavengers due to unavailability of protective gear, reported The Indian Express.
Commenting on the high number of deaths, the court said, “In no country, people are sent to gas chambers to die. Every month four to five persons are losing their lives in manual scavenging.” It also pointed out that the caste discrimination still existed in the country even after 70 years of Independence.
Hearing a plea to review its last year’s verdict that eased the actions provisioned under the SC/ST Act, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said the government had failed to provide equal facilities to scavengers.
Attorney General KK Venugopal, who was appearing for the government, was asked as to why were masks and oxygen cylinders not being provided to people engaged in the practice. It was hazardous to enter a manhole full of harmful gases, the court observed.
In his statement on the matter, Justice Mishra raised a question regarding the evil practice of untouchability. He asked, “Despite the constitution abolishing untouchability in the country, I am asking you people, do you shake hands with them? The answer is no. That is the way we are going on.”
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.