Extended Safai Karmachari Commission's tenure till March 2025: Centre to SC

The Centre has told the Supreme Court the current tenure of the National Commission for Safai Karmachari (NCSK) has been extended till March 31, 2025 and steps will be taken to fill up the vacant posts in the panel.

The top court took note of the affidavit of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that besides extending the tenure of the panel, the chairman, vice-chairman and one more member have been appointed till March 31, 2025.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta said it has no reason to believe that the central government will not do the needful and disposed of the PIL filed by lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy.

As per the counter affidavit filed by the respondents (Centre), the current tenure of the National Commission for Safai Karmachari has been extended till 31.03.2025. It is further informed that Chairman, Vice-Chairman and one more member have been appointed for a period till 31.03.2025 and four post of members are lying vacant due to absence of suitable candidates, the bench said in its order of October 20.

We have no reason to doubt that the competent authority will continue to make an endeavour to find out suitable members and fill-up the vacant posts. Similarly, the necessary action for appointment/re-appointment/extension of the office bearers of the NCSK shall be taken well before the expiry of the tenure on 31.03.2025, it said.

Tripathy had in his PIL sought a direction from the top court for appointment of four members of the panel.

He said NCSK was constituted in 1994 as a statutory body by an Act of Parliament that is "The National Commission for-Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993" for a period of three years with a noble ambition to ensure rights of the Safai Karamcharis' and matters connected to their life, livelihood, manual scavenging.

With the lapse of the 1993 Act, the Commission is acting as a non-statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and its tenure is extended from time to time through government resolutions.

As per the resolution of February 3, 2022, the tenure of the NCSK has been extended with effect from from April 01, 2022 to March 31, 2025.