Stop harassing rickshaw-pullers over ID proof: HC

In a significant judgment upholding the right to livelihood of rickshaw-pullers, the Delhi High Court on Monday asked civic agencies and police not to harass them by insisting on Delhi residence proof.

In a significant judgment upholding the right to livelihood of rickshaw-pullers, the Delhi High Court on Monday asked civic agencies and police not to harass them by insisting on Delhi residence proof.

HT Image

The court said that cycle rickshaws were indispensable in the present public transport scenario of the Capital. The fact that a majority of rickshaw- pullers were migrants was taken note of by the judges. Manushi Sangathan, the NGO which raised the issue, told the court that hapless rickshaw- pullers faced the biggest harassment at the hands of the law enforcement agencies on

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/Popup/2012/12/11_12_pg4a.jpg

this account.

The plea that they could be a security threat was also rejected by the court which said “rickshaw-pullers by themselves cannot constitute a security risk”.

“Most rickshaw-pullers are migrants from other states and are unlikely to have any proof of residence in Delhi. They are mostly homeless, having to either sleep on the rickshaw itself or use the city's pavements for a night's rest. The more fortunate ones may be able to find some space in a jhuggi cluster on a temporary basis,” said the court.

“In present circumstances, the insistence on proof of residence from rickshaw pliers as a condition for the grant of registration or licence would undoubtedly cause them further harassment and create a barrier for them to obtain either,” said the court.

Noting that rickshaw-pullers “literally” live in the open, the judges said, “It is not difficult for the police, if it makes a concerted effort, to trace any rickshaw-puller.