The Allahabad High Court has refused to issue directions for the protection of sanitation workers working in houses where Covid-19 patients maybe residing.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Piyush Agrawal disposed of the petition while giving liberty to the petitioner to approach competent authorities of the Government of India and the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The petition sought the provision of certain facilities and protection to safai karamcharis/sanitation workers/scavengers, who are discharging their duties under different local bodies, including the Cantonment Boards.
The petition said the employees may catch the disease from such houses and therefore, they deserve to have complete protection.
The petition did not mention any details with regard to such employees working with different local bodies in Uttar Pradesh. It has relied upon a technical brief given by the World Health Organization. The brief aforesaid also contains interim guidance relating to personal protection of such employees.
The presumption of the Petitioner is that in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the protection suggested must have not been extended and, therefore, necessary directions are required to be issued by the Court.
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Having considered the documents annexed with the Writ Petition and the guidelines prescribed by the different bodies in relation to the extension of protection to vulnerable persons, the Court deemed it appropriate to dispose of this petition by keeping the petitioner at liberty to approach the competent authorities of the Government of India as well as the State of Uttar Pradesh for getting protection guidelines executed in accordance with the protocol introduced and the statute and law, if any, applicable, the order reads.