HC asks Centre, AAP govt about steps to rehabilitate manual

The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre and the Delhi government to inform it about the steps taken by them regarding rehabilitation of manual scavengers in the national capital despite a law prohibiting such practice.
A bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar also sought to know from the governments as to whether any committee was set up by them to look into the implementation of the Act.
"The Centre and the Delhi government will file an affidavit with regard to the implementation of Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act," the court said.

It said that the both the governments would file their affidavit before August 31, particularly on section 36 (the appropriate government shall, by notification, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act, within a period not exceeding three months from the date of commencement of this Act).
The court's direction came during hearing of a PIL filed in 2007 for rehabilitation of manual scavengers.
It had earlier termed as "disgraceful" the existence of manual scavengers in the city despite a law prohibiting such a practice and said, "We are a country of poor people but not for poor people."

The bench had also termed as "ridiculous and shocking", when it was informed by Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA's) Member Secretary, Dharmesh Sharma, that one of the manual scavengers was a "graduate".
DSLSA, in its report filed on the court's direction issued to it to verify the veracity of statements of all agencies that there were no manual scavengers in the city, said that there were manual scavengers in the national apital.