HC asks Delhi govt for report on steps taken to combat child labour

Delhi HC demands a report from the government on child labour actions, urging district-wise accountability for rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

The Delhi high court on Friday asked the Delhi government to file a comprehensive report indicating the steps taken by it against child labour and to rescue and rehabilitate such children in each district, saying that there has to be district wise accountability.

The Delhi high court asked the Delhi government to file a comprehensive report indicating the steps taken by it against child labour(HT_PRINT)

“There has to be some accountability district wise. The respondent (Delhi government) will file a status report clearly indicating how many meetings of the task force were held district wise, what action plan has been made to conduct rescue operations district wise, and what steps were taken to rehabilitate rescued children,” a bench of acting chief justice Vibhu Bakhru and justice Tushar Rao Gedela said in the order.

The court passed the order after advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, representing the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan that had filed a plea highlighting the plight of children working in illegal factories, submitted that the authorities neither held monthly meetings nor conducted any raids to rescue child labourers last year.

The petition was filed against the backdrop of a fire in a factory at Anaj Mandi in December 2019 that resulted in the death of 45 people, including 12 minors, due to asphyxia. The plea said that though these factories were functioning under the nose of state authorities, they had turned a blind eye to these units which were not less than death traps waiting for their victims. It had sought protection and rehabilitation of children who were working in these units.

In January 2023, the high court directed the Delhi government to release ₹5 lakh as ex-gratia interim payment to the relatives of victims who lost their life. It had also directed the government to conduct raids in the 183 locations identified by the NGO where these children were working.

During the hearing, the court asked the Delhi police to indicate the steps taken with regards to a probe in an FIR registered in 2023 which alleged its members were attacked by a mob while they were carrying out a raid to rescue child labourers from industrial units. “Give a status report. Please do your duty and ensure that the steps are taken,” the court said, while seeking presence of the SHO on the next date of hearing on March 12.