Andhra Pradesh high court orders payout of 30L for scavenging deaths since 1993
Vijayawada: In a landmark ruling, the
Andhra Pradesh high court
has directed the state government to pay compensation of ₹30 lakh and ensure full rehabilitation for the families of sanitation workers who died while cleaning sewage drains and engaging in manual scavenging since 1993. The order aligns with the guidelines issued earlier by the Supreme Court of India.
A bench comprising Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur and Justice Cheemalapati Ravi issued the order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Tutika Daalaiah, founder of the Com George Fernandes Memorial Socialist International. The case concerned the death of M Manikyala Rao, a contract sanitation worker with the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, who died after falling into a manhole during cleaning work. Although the corporation classified the incident as an accident and paid ₹10 lakh compensation, the high court ordered an additional ₹20 lakh to be paid to Rao's wife within a month.
The court further directed that Rao's wife, who was offered an outsourcing job, must be provided with job security, skill development training, and educational support for her children as part of a complete rehabilitation package.
Importantly, the court clarified that the ₹30 lakh compensation and rehabilitation measures would apply to all sanitation workers who died during manual scavenging duties since 1993. The commissioner of municipal administration has been instructed to collect data from municipal corporations, municipalities, local bodies, and labour unions across the state.
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The court also ruled that officials responsible for such deaths must have adverse entries recorded in their service records, affecting their chances for promotion. In cases involving contract workers, the court directed that compensation be recovered from the contractors concerned.
The bench strongly noted the continued violation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, particularly by the VMC. Advocate Padiri Ravi Teja, representing the petitioner, highlighted that around 250 manual scavengers are still employed under the corporation.
The court adjourned the next hearing to July 16 to examine pending complaints, including an incident from 2022 where 20 sanitation workers were seen manually cleaning drains near the Lemon Tree Hotel without any action being taken against the officials responsible.
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