Supreme Court of India asks states to send migrants back home in 15 days, drop all charges against them

Asking that the states should drop the charges registered against migrants who have allegedly violated coronavirus lockdown orders, the Supreme Court on India said that migrant workers should be identified and sent to their hometowns within 15 days.

In its orders, the top court said states and union territories should prepare a complete list of migrant workers who have reached their home states and mention the work they were engaged in prior to the lockdown. It also asked the states and the centre to specify schemes for employment of migrant workers after the lockdown.

States and union territories were directed by the court to collect data for giving them jobs after mapping their skills.

A three-judge bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MR Shah issued the directions days after passing a series of directions, asking state governments not to charge migrant labourers for their train or bus journeys and asked states to arrange for their food and water.

The Supreme Court said migrant workers who want to go back to their work places must be given counselling.

 

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