HC take cognisance of media report on manual scavenging in K'taka, says it is 'shame on humanity'
Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday took cognizance of a newspaper report on prevalence of manual scavenging in the state and termed it as a "shame on humanity".
A division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit appointed advocate Sridhar Prabhu as amicus curiae and directed him to file a public interest litigation (PIL) with the Registry, which will place it before the bench for hearing on January 8.
The court remarked that the incidents mentioned in the report shook its conscience.
"After more than 60 years still somebody who is our brother in society merely due to his misfortune, he took birth in a particular community, carrying the stamp of one caste is required to do these things. Is it not a shame on humanity? Is this what we all are here for?" it asked.
ALSO READ: Mall of Asia kept closed on Dec 31 keeping in mind police's apprehensions, management tells HC
Though the country is proud of its technical advancements, the bench said there is no change in the mindset of people.
"Why are we making our brothers do these things when there are technical advancements to clean the pits but there is no change in the mindset?" Machines could be employed for manual scavenging which cost only Rs 2,000 per hour, the bench pointed out.
Referring to ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission, the bench said, "You can't sleep with this. You just can't be concentrating or anything when these things are still happening in society when on one hand, for rightful reasons, we say we reached the moon just two months back. We are proud of it. Same time, we are not treating our brothers as human beings,'' ''Is it not a shame? Is this what we all are here for? Merely because somebody is facing financial difficulty is he to lead a life as bad as an animal?" the Court questioned.
Quoting Ramon Magsaysay award winner and an activist fighting to eliminate manual scavenging, the HC said, "Today a person residing in the smallest villages in Karnataka is aware of Swach Bharat Abhiyan, but people still say they know nothing of the manual scavenging Act.'' ''What happened in Kolar is a crime. The government should stop the caste drama. The Constitution also says there should be no discrimination. Malur was only a representation of what was happening on the ground. In 2023 alone, there have been 93 deaths of manual scavengers across India," it added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
