Ensure migrant workers reach home within stipulated time: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday (June 19) told the Centre and States to ensure all stranded migrants reach their native places without having to pay any charges.

The top court asked the Union as well as the state governments to comply with the 15 days time-limit given on June 9 for the purpose.

"Our order of June 9 is very clear that all migrants must reach home within 15 days. It isn't that process has to be complete but that they must be transported," a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah said.

Taking up the Suo Motu matter registered last month with regard to problems and miseries faced by the migrant workers, the bench said that no migrant has to pay anything to go back to home.

The court, once again, reiterated its order that the adequate publicity would be given to its order to facilitate the safe return of the migrant workers, who faced the most harrowing times on clamping of nationwide lockdown on March 25, due to COVID-19 pandemic.

During the hearing, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for NLU alumni, contended that the Union government had on June 10 released a list of trains for which the migrants had to pay. He said the states did not have enough funds to pay even 15% of the charges of Shramik Special Trains.

On this, the bench said, "our order was clear that no migrant had to pay, whether the Centre pays or the State, it is not the issue."

Senior advocate Indira Jaising complained that the order passed by the court was not being complied with in letter and spirits and details of trains were not available, due to lack of sufficient publicity.