The Supreme Court has strongly criticised Tamil Nadu and four other states for failing to implement its earlier directions banning manual cleaning of sewers and the handling of human waste.
Hearing a petition filed by Dr Balram Singh, the court recalled that it had already prohibited manual sewer and human-waste cleaning in six major cities—Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru—and had issued detailed instructions to ensure the use of machines.
Despite those orders, a fresh plea alleged that the directions were not being properly enforced in Tamil Nadu and other states. The matter came up again before a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi.
The bench noted that deaths continue to occur during septic tank and sewer cleaning across the country, and asked why fatalities persist even after clear judicial directions. It referred to figures stating that 54 people died in 2024 and 46 in 2025 while cleaning sewer tanks.
Calling the conduct of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi “condemnable”, the court asked why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against their Chief Secretaries. The states were directed to file their explanations within a week, and the court said the Chief Secretaries may be summoned to appear in person if required.
