BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday took up suo motu cognisance of a Big Picture article, titled ‘Manual Scavenging Continues Despite Ban’, published by The New Indian Express on December 25, 2023.
Observing that the story is disturbing and certainly shocks one’s conscience, the division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit quoted a couplet by poet Sahir Ludhianvi that ‘even soil has some value but human beings are worth nothing...’
The court appointed advocate Sridhar Prabhu as amicus curiae to assist the court and directed him to file a PIL with the registry, which has to place the matter before the court for hearing on January 8.
The New Indian Express published the article after students were forced to clean a septic tank in Malur of Kolar.
Extracting the views expressed by one Appanna (40), a resident of Bengaluru, quoted in the article, which read, “I stopped this work long ago, and now I work as a security guard. But people still ask me if I can clean their pits. I feel ashamed when people ask me to clean their shit. It is very shameful that I am recognised by my caste and not respected for my present profession,” the court said these facts are disturbing. The court also quoted the comments of Bezwada Wilson, Ramon Magsaysay awardee, published in the story.
The court said now a person who is our brother in society, merely because either his misfortune he took birth in a particular community, carrying a stamp of one caste, he is required to do this work (manual scavenging). Is it not a shame on humanity? 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 observed.
“Freedom fighters and social reformers have dreamed that everybody is equal but what is happening after
60 years, even in Karnataka? Why are we taking our own brothers to do these things (manual scavenging) when there are technical advancements to clean the pits but there was no change in the mindset? We flew to the Moon two months back which is very proud but we are not treating our brothers as human beings,” the court observed, quoting the couplets of Sant Tukaram. The court asked the State Government advocate to look into the issue.