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The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Centre on an application seeking impleadment of Centre as a necessary party to the petition seeking strict compliance of provisions under Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

The Division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing an application filed by Advocate Amit Sahni in response to the statement given by Minister of State for Social Justice and empowerment, Ramdas Athawale in the Rajya Sabha.

The application stated that “ on 28.07.2021 during the 254th Session of the Rajya Sabha, the Hon’ble Minister of State for Social Justice and empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale (also ex officio Chairperson of Central Monitoring Committee constituted under Section 29 of the Act), while answering an unstarred question nearing no.1017, asked by fellow MPs Mallikarjun Lharge and Dr L Hanimanthaia about the number of deaths caused due to manual scavenging during the last five years, stated that “ no such deaths have been reported due to manual scavenging”.

“The said answer before the upper house of the Parliament is not only false and misleading but shows utter insensitivity and apathy towards the departed souls of the manual scavengers, their family and also towards the group of people who are still into manual scavenging”.

Sahni has submitted that the such misstatement was made deliberately to applaud the government contrary to the records available in public.

The application was filed in the main petition seeking directions to ensure strict compliance of the provisions of the prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their rehabilitation Act, 2013 to prevent loss of valuable lives of manual scavengers.

The Court has listed the matter for next hearing on September 17.

Case Title: Amit Sahni vs Govt of NCT of Delhi and Ors