SC Issues Show-Cause Notices To Gujarat, 4 Other States Over Sewer Deaths
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Supreme Court has expressed strong displeasure over the continued deaths of sanitation workers while cleaning sewers and septic tanks, issuing show-cause notices to the Chief Secretaries of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of Justices Arvind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi asked the five states to explain why suo motu contempt proceedings should not be initiated for alleged non-compliance with the court's directions.
PIL On Sanitation Workers' Deaths
The directions were issued while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Dr Balram Singh.
In October 2023, the Supreme Court had raised the compensation for deaths during sewer cleaning to ₹30 lakh. In January 2025, it also directed a complete ban on manual scavenging in six metropolitan cities.
Despite these directions, deaths of sanitation workers have continued, the court was informed.
54 Deaths Reported In 2024, 46 In 2025
Senior advocate K Parameshwar told the court that, according to figures presented in Parliament, 54 sanitation workers died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in 2024, followed by 46 deaths in 2025.
In 2024, Maharashtra reported 17 deaths, Rajasthan 13 and Tamil Nadu 12, according to the figures cited before the court.
Expressing concern over the continued fatalities, Justice Arvind Kumar said that deaths occurring despite the court's orders could not be tolerated and that responsibility would have to be fixed rather than simply blaming contractors.
The court has directed the Chief Secretaries of the five states to submit affidavits responding to the notices within four weeks.
