Are you suggesting two manual scavengers entered manholes for pleasure? Karnataka High Court asks Water Supply and Drainage Board

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday came down upon Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (Board) in strong words, reproaching the Board for its casual approach towards the problem of manual scavenging and deaths from it..What irked a Division Bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Suraj Govindaraj was the stand taken by the Board that one of the workers, who passed away inside a manhole at Kalaburagi, had entered the manhole voluntarily. "How can you take such a stand that the persons entered manholes voluntarily? We are worried about nature of your (Board) findings. Are you suggesting that manual scavengers entered manholes for their pleasure," the Court demanded. .Are you suggesting that manual scavengers entered manholes for their pleasure.Karnataka High Court .The Court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking abolition of the practice of manual scavenging in the State.The Bench was specifically dealing with the deaths of two manual scavengers who had suffocated inside a manhole in Kalaburagi on January 28..The Board, after completing its internal inquiry, informed the Court on Thursday that one of persons had entered the manhole manually to check what the problem in the manhole was. However, since there was some issue, he had fainted inside the manhole. Seeing this, a second worker jumped inside to help him and got trapped. Both of them were immediately rushed to a hospital but later died, the Court was told. The Court, however, seemed reluctant to buy this explanation and questioned how the Board could claim that the persons jumped into the hole "voluntarily". "Why did they enter the manholes? Because they were asked to, right?" asked the Bench. The Board responded in the negative and informed the Court that there were five eye witnesses to the entire episode. If at all they were asked to enter the manholes, then action must be taken against the contractor who employed them, the counsel for the Board said. "What action have you taken against the contractor," the Court demanded. The Court was told that the contract expired a few days ago and that an FIR has also been registered against the contractor. "You must have given him work somewhere else also," the Court said sarcastically.The Court also noted with disapproval the stance by authorities which seemed to suggest that nobody seemed responsible for the death of two manual scavengers. "Now, no one is responsible for the two deaths? Not you (the Board), not the contractor?" The Bench then directed the Board to place the report of the five eye witnesses to find out whether the two deceased persons had entered the manholes voluntarily or whether they were asked to do so. The matter will be heard next on July 6. .In December 2020, the High Court had issued a slew of directions to ensure the proper implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (Manual Scavengers Act).However, the death of the two manual scavengers in January 2021 had prompted the Court to once again take cognizance of the issue with the Bench observing in February that the State Government has failed to implement provisions of the Act.