A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court to direct the Centre to allow migrant workers to return to their hometowns and villages after having them tested for COVID-19. The above also seeks that the authorities should provide for their safe travel.
The petition states that these Migrant workers who are stranded away from their home amidst these circumstances have been abominably hit in the crisis.
On the other hand, according to the centre all these migrants who have been putting up in shelter homes in various cities across the country since March 31 should stay there in the interest of the containment of the pandemic.
The petitioner further prayed that not allowing these migrants to return to their hometown would be a violation of their fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India.
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It suggested that necessary tests should be conducted and those workers who test negative for coronavirus should be allowed to return home rather than kept in the shelter homes against their wishes. Adding to the above the PIL states that the authorities should arrange for the safe travel for these migrant workers.
The PIL filed with regards to such migrant workers states,
“Necessary arrangements for testing of COVID-19 can be made for all those migrant workers who wish to travel to their native places, either in the state of their departure or in the state of their arrival.”
The large number of people gathering at bus terminuses in various cities on several occasions is a proof that the migrant workers are distressed and wish to return to their home amidst this deadly outbreak.
Having to live in the shelter homes these migrant workers are placed a very differently in comparison to those living at their own homes during this lockdown which is a violation of their rights under Article 14. Further the restriction of their movement and their confinement in one city violates their rights under Article 19. The petitioner has also invoked the right to life with dignity as guaranteed under Article 21.
The petitioner added, “Article 21 of the Constitution of lndia also envisages the right to live with dignity and the same is being denied to these migrant workers.”
The petition has been filed through Advocate Prashant Bhushan and drawn by Advocates Neha Rathi and Jatin Bhardwaj.
Read the PIL here:
