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Manual Sewer Cleaner's Death : Supreme Court Summons Haryana Chief Secretary Over Failure To Consider Claim For Compensation
Gursimran Kaur Bakshi
26 April 2025 5:04 PM IST
Recently, the Supreme Court passed an order summoning the Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, to remain personally present in the Court after it found that the Government of Haryana failed to comply with the Court's order directing them to decide the representation of a petitioner for compensation of Rs. 30 lakhs after her husband died on account of inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning...
Recently, the Supreme Court passed an order summoning the Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, to remain personally present in the Court after it found that the Government of Haryana failed to comply with the Court's order directing them to decide the representation of a petitioner for compensation of Rs. 30 lakhs after her husband died on account of inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning sewer tanks.
Two petitioners had approached the Supreme Court through an Article 32 petition against the Government of Delhi and Haryana, respectively, after their husbands died inhaling poisonous gas while sewer cleaning in 2021 and 2022 respectively. They both sought compensation of Rs. 30 lakhs and enhancement of compensation from Rs. 10 lakhs to 30 lakhs in terms of the Supreme Court's 2023 Balram Singh vs. Union of India & Ors judgment.
The Court acknowledged that both petitioners had already made a representation to the Government of Delhi and Haryana, but there was no response from them. Therefore, on January 3, it directed the two governments to decide their case within 4 weeks in terms of the 2023 judgment. One of the petitioners made a representation to the Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, on January 6. However, no reply was received.
Consequently, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan noted that the State of Haryana neither paid attention to the Court's order nor to the representation filed by the petitioner through her lawyer.
In this regard, the Court has summoned the Chief Secretary on May 9.
"The Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, Chandigarh to personally remain present on the next date of hearing so as to make us understand why our order has not been considered and in what manner the representation dated 6-1-2025 (received by the Government on 9-1-2025) has been looked into."
Case Details: ASHA v.STATE OF HARYANA, Writ Petition(s)(Civil) No(s). 368/2025