Supeme Court pulls up Centre on manual scavenging

The Supreme Court today pulled up the Centre for its failure to enact a law to ban manual scavenging despite giving assurances many times earlier that it would soon amend the relevant act.

The government, however, assured the bench of justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad that it would soon be able to enact the law as the bill has already been introduced in Parliament and it is pending before a Standing Committee of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The Attorney General said the committee has already held a meeting and the second meeting is to take place on January 11.

He said that the committee would submit its report to the Lok Sabha at the commencement of the Budget Session.

The bench was hearing an appeal filed by the Centre challenging a Madras High Court order, which said if the Centre failed to amend the law to prevent manual scavenging in two months, the court would be constrained to direct the personal appearance of any of the high dignitaries.

It had earlier stayed the order and issued notice to A Narayanan on whose PIL petition the high court issued the directions.