The Court stated its intention to eliminate manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in six major metropolitan cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad.
The Supreme Court recently expressed its intent to end the practice of manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in the six major metropolitan cities of India—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad [Dr. Balram Singh v. Union of India and Ors].
To facilitate this, a bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Aravind Kumar instructed the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of these cities to submit detailed affidavits to the Supreme Court by February 13. The affidavits should outline the timeline and measures taken to eliminate manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in their respective cities.
The Court’s order, issued on January 29, read, “We, therefore, direct that the Chief Executive Officers (by whatever name he/she is called the State) of each of the aforementioned Metropolitan cities file precise affidavit(s) before this Court apprising as to how and when manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning were stopped in their Metropolitan city…Let the requisite affidavit(s) be filed on or before 13.02.2025, a copy of which shall be supplied to the Union of India and to the Ld. Amicus Curiae in advance.”
In October 2023, the Supreme Court issued fourteen directives aimed at eradicating manual scavenging in India. The Court emphasized that both the Union and State governments are obligated to ensure the complete elimination of manual scavenging.
During a hearing in December 2024, the Court instructed the Union of India to coordinate with all States and relevant stakeholders to gather feedback on the extent to which manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning have been abolished. The Union was directed to file an affidavit with a state-wise breakdown.
In response, the Union of India submitted a detailed affidavit, informing the Court that in 456 out of 775 districts across the country, manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning have been halted.
However, after reviewing the submissions on January 29, the Court noted a lack of clarity on whether manual sewer cleaning has been entirely eliminated in metropolitan cities. As a result, the Court declared its intention to end manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in all major metropolitan cities.
“We hereby express our intention to eliminate manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in all the major metropolitan cities of the country, namely: a) Delhi, b) Mumbai, c) Kolkata, d) Chennai, e) Bangalore, and f) Hyderabad. We have also been informed at the Bar that in each of these cities, modern scientific machinery and tools are available for scavenging and sewer cleaning, which do not require active human participation. Therefore, manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning should no longer be necessary,” the Court stated.
