The Supreme Court on Wednesday took serious note of a petition complaining that the District Magistrates of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and Rohtas in Bihar did not take prompt action to help 187 bonded labourers working in brick kilns, despite an order from the National Human Rights Commission on May 11.
A virtual court Bench led by Justice L. Nageswara Rao issued formal notice to both the States and ordered the District Magistrates to file detailed status reports on the action they had taken to free the victims. The court scheduled a hearing on June 9.
The direction came on a writ petition filed by social activist Zahid Hussein, represented by senior advocate Anitha Shenoy and advocate Srishti Agnihotri, Mr. Hussain said the victims included pregnant women, children and even infants. The victims work in three kilns in the harshest conditions in extreme heat.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant nation-wide lock-down have intensified every factor of vulnerability that bonded labourers are ordinarily subjected to. From increased isolation to restriction of movement, lack of food supplies, lack of healthcare, non-payment of wages and restricted access to law enforcement authorities, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely exacerbated the abusive conditions that bonded labourers are trapped in,” the petition said.
The petition pointed out that “millions of adults and children across India are enslaved by the scourge,” despite the enactment of the Bonded Labour Abolition Act in 1976.
Mr. Hussein said he intervened on behalf of the victims after exercising due diligence and collecting intelligence on crime linkages of traffickers/ exploiters, their source, transit and destination areas, with the help of civil society organisations.
