Supreme Court Sends Contempt Notices to 15 States
Supreme Court contempt notices were issued to chief secretaries of 15 Indian states for ignoring the October 2023 order to end manual scavenging, prompting urge
The Supreme Court on Monday issued contempt of court notices to the chief secretaries of 15 states after finding they have not complied with the court’s October 2023 order to eradicate manual scavenging.
States summoned to explain non‑compliance
Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi directed the chief secretaries of Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to file affidavits within four weeks. The bench asked each official to explain why contempt proceedings should not be launched against them for “wilful disobedience” of the court’s directions.
“We hereby call upon the chief secretaries…to show cause as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for the wilful disobedience of the directions issued by this Court,” the order read. The notice requires a sworn affidavit by the deadline, after which the judiciary may decide whether to proceed with contempt actions.
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Background and recent deaths
The Supreme Court’s October 20, 2023 judgment in Dr Balram Singh v. Union of India and Ors. laid out 14 detailed directions aimed at eliminating manual scavenging nationwide. The order placed a duty on the Union and state governments to ensure that the practice, which involves the manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, is fully eradicated.
During the Monday hearing, senior advocate K Parameshwar, appearing as amicus curiae, reported that 54 deaths were recorded in the states covered by the order in 2024, and another 46 deaths in 2025. The bench asked each state’s counsel for further details, emphasizing that the death toll continued despite the earlier ruling.
Justice Kumar pressed the Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu representatives, saying, “We made it clear that there should be no manual scavenging, yet deaths are still occurring. Somewhere it has to stop.” He repeated the same line of questioning for Delhi, noting seven deaths in 2024 and five in 2025.
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The court observed that the directions “do not appear to have percolated,” indicating a gap between policy and practice. It noted that “sufficient remedial steps have not been taken,” suggesting that state‑level implementation remains inadequate.
For workers who still face the hazardous task of cleaning sewers, the continued fatalities highlight a stark reality: legal mandates alone do not guarantee safety. Without effective enforcement mechanisms, the same vulnerable laborers are likely to encounter the same risks, pointing to the need for concrete, on‑the‑ground measures.
Implications and next steps
If the chief secretaries fail to provide satisfactory affidavits, the Supreme Court may initiate contempt proceedings, which could include fines or other sanctions. The judiciary’s willingness to pursue contempt reflects a broader push to ensure that its directives are not merely symbolic.
