Vacancies in NCSK to be filled up soon: Centre tells SC

The Centre today informed the Supreme Court that vacancies in the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK), which is lying "defunct" since April this year, would be filled up within six weeks.
A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud was told by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi that he has already informed the government about it and vacancies would be filled up within six weeks.
Advocate Radhakanta Tripathy, who has filed the petition seeking a direction to the government to appoint chairperson, vice-chairperson and other members of NCSK, told the bench that since the commission has been lying defunct since April 1 this year, grievances of the safai karamcharis could not be addressed.

The bench, after hearing the submission, asked the Centre to fill up the vacancies in the commission within eight weeks.
The petitioner had approached the apex court contending that though the government had extended the tenure of NCSK for another three years from April 1, 2016, the posts were lying vacant after the retirement of the chairperson and other members on March 31 this year.
"It is highly painful to inform this court that there is none in this commission including the chairperson, vice chairperson and five other members one of whom should be a woman. As a result, the aim of the government to eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and uplift the standard of safai karamcharis being a continuing stigma within a fixed time remains in vein," the plea has said.

The petition has also sought a direction to the government to fix a time-frame for filling up the vacancies in the commission.