2005 INSC 0489
(Supreme Court Of India)
Safai Karamchari Andolan & Others
v.
Union of India & Others
(S.N. Variava And H.K. Sema)
Writ Petition (Civil) No. 583 Of 2003 | 29-04-2005

1. The Union of India and each State shall ask persons at the higher level in
each of its Department and in its Corporation to personally check and then file
affidavits in this Court as to whether or not, in their Department or Corporation
any Manual Scavenging is still being resorted to. If Manual Scavenging is still
being resorted to, then that Department or Corporation to indicate with details
what Scheme it has for eliminating it and for rehabilitating the persons
concerned and within what time frame. It is clarified that the person who files
the affidavit must be a person who is responsible for taking a decision in the
matter. The affidavit to be filed on personal information as we propose to hold
the person responsible if it is found that the affidavit does not contain the truth

2. The Union of India to also state what funds it has so far allocated and under
which particular Schemes and what the utilization of these funds has been,
Union of India must state how many people have been rehabilitated each year
since 1993.

3. Such affidavits to be filed within six months from today. We clarify that this
does not mean that in the meantime the Union of India and the States do not
continue with their efforts to eliminate this degrading practice.

4. List on 14th November, 2005.

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