The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre and state governments to immediately provide monetary assistance, food supply and other basic amenities to sex workers, who have been rendered jobless since the coronavirus-induced lockdown began in March, The Hindu reported. The court said this should be done without insisting on documents such as ration cards.
The bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta asked the Centre if it can exercise its power under the National Disaster Management Act to help sex workers during the crisis. “They are under severe distress now, something urgent has to be done,” Rao said. “This deals with the survival of lakhs of people…You [Centre and state governments] should do something without waiting for our directions.”
Rao also told Additional Solicitor General RS Suri, representing the Centre, that relief measures should not…