SC issues contempt notices to 15 state chief secretaries

The Supreme Court issued contempt notices to chief secretaries of 15 states, including Delhi, for failing to prevent manual scavenging deaths despite a 2023 ruling.

The court cited 165 deaths from 15 states between 2023 and 2025, with 100 deaths in 2024-2025 and unverified reports of over 100 sewer deaths in 2026.

The bench of justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi ordered the chief secretaries to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated for wilful disobedience.

The states with the most deaths in 2024-2025 include Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana.