The Supreme Court is working to eliminate manual scavenging and sewer cleaning in six major cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. 

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar has asked the Chief Executive Officers of these cities to submit reports by February 13, 2025. These reports must explain when and how manual scavenging and sewer cleaning were stopped.

"We direct the Chief Executive Officers of each of these cities to file affidavits detailing the end of manual scavenging and sewer cleaning. These must be submitted by February 13, 2025, with copies given to the Union of India and the Amicus Curiae," the Court stated on January 29.

In October 2023, the Supreme Court issued 14 directions to completely eliminate manual scavenging in India. It reminded both the Union and State governments of their responsibility to enforce this ban.

In December 2024, the Court asked the Union government to check with States and report on whether manual scavenging had truly ended. The government later reported that out of 775 districts, 456 had stopped the practice.

However, after reviewing this report on January 29, the Court found unclear information about whether manual sewer cleaning had fully stopped in big cities.

The Court reaffirmed its goal of ending these dangerous practices, stating, "We aim to stop manual scavenging and sewer cleaning in all top metropolitan cities. These cities have modern machines for sewer cleaning, so manual work should not be needed."

The Court will review the matter again on February 19, 2025.

Case Title: Dr. Balram Singh v. Union of India and Ors.