The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- The Supreme Court has issued contempt notices to the chief secretaries of 15 states for failing to prevent deaths from manual scavenging despite its October 2023 order banning the practice.
- Government data cited to the court shows 165 deaths in these states, including 54 in 2024 and 46 in 2025, with Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi and Tamil Nadu reporting the most deaths in 2024-25.
- A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi said the 2023 directions have not percolated down and that the court will now fix responsibility, asking the chief secretaries to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated.
- The matter will be heard again after four weeks, and the states must respond by then.
What to watch next
- The chief secretaries' replies to the contempt notices due within four weeks.
- Whether the court initiates formal contempt proceedings or fixes responsibility on specific officials.
- Future government data on sewer and septic tank deaths to see if the numbers decline.
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Named India · Chief Secretaries · Delhi · Haryana · Maharashtra · Punjab · Rajasthan · Tamil Nadu · Telangana · Uttar Pradesh · West Bengal · Aravind Kumar · K Parameshwar
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