Do Not Insist On Ration Cards For Distributing Dry Ration To Sex Workers

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Recently, the Supreme Court stated that, since it is difficult for sex workers to have a identity proof, all states and union territories must provide dry ration to sex workers without asking for ration cards.

DETAILS

• Name of the case : Budhadev Karmaskar v. The state of West Bengal
• Background of the case :
• The bench consisting Justice L. Nageswara Rao was hearing the 2010 Budhadev Karmaskar case where, dismissing the appeal of the appealing party who was sentenced for killing a sex laborer in a red light region in Kolkata by battering her head more than once against the divider and the floor of a room, the Court had suo motu changed over the case into a PIL by a similar request to resolve the issues of sex laborers in the country.
• In 2011, the Court consisted of a board headed by Mr. Pradip Ghosh, Senior Advocate as the Chairman and including Mr. Jayant Bhushan, Senior Advocate, to help and exhort the Court for giving reasonable bearings in this.
• Court observations :
• The bench mentioned how the right to food has been recognised as a human right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
• A Bench consisting Justice Nageswara Rao and Justice BR Gavai saw that ID of sex laborers from the information given by NACO and the District Legal Services Authority would be adequate for them to guarantee conveyance of dry ration.

QUESTIONS

• Do you agree with the decision of the Supreme Court ?
• What does Article 21 of the Constitution of India mainly concern with ?