BENGALURU: Failure to provide basic shelter to urban homeless people may amount to a violation of the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution, the Karnataka High Court observed on Tuesday and directed the state government to furnish the outcome of the survey on urban homeless people and the number of shelters established for them.
A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Suraj Govindaraj, which was hearing a PIL filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties-Karnataka, also pointed out that the state government had given an undertaking to the Supreme Court stating that it would complete the survey within six months. However, in its statement of objections, it was silent about the outcome of the survey, the bench said.
The court recorded that of 64 shelters set up by the state government, only 47 were functional. “We direct the state government to place on record the outcome of the survey of urban homeless and necessary details, if survey is completed,” the Court ordered.
After the survey is completed, necessary facilities should be provided to homeless people in urban areas so that they could live with dignity. However, the outcome of the survey nor records on the number of night shelters in state were placed before the court, the bench said, and directed the state to file an affidavit in this regard by May 25.