On Friday, the High Court of Madras impressed upon the need for the State Govt to “seriously” look into scores of complaints regarding Govt officials making illegal money, even during a grave situation posed by the pandemic, by collecting bribe for issuing e-passes for travelling from one district to another.
Justice N. Kirubakaran & Justice V.M. Velumani said that “For the past few months, people have been unable to do their work or travel from one place to another for various purposes & they have been put to untold misery. Though the government is not responsible for the present position, some corrupt officials involved in issuing e-passes are bent upon making a booty.”
“It is very shocking to know about such incidents & also about cut-throat corrupt officials in the system. They are like cruel bloodthirsty wolves & they should be dealt with an iron hand. Throughout the State, there are allegations that there are brokers available for getting e-passes, & the rate ranges between ₹500 & ₹2,000,” the Judges noted.
The observations were made while passing orders on a habeas corpus plea filed by C.M. Sivababu, president of the Tamil Desiya Makkal Katchi, to produce 6 adolescent boys & girls who were reportedly detained against their wishes in a private spinning mill in Tiruppur. Taking serious note, the Court had directed the Police to act.
Accordingly, the Superintendent of Police reported to the Court that a raid conducted in the mill on Thursday did not lead to employment of child labour. However, it was found that the mill had employed 331 people, of whom 133 were aged between 14 & 18, brought from various districts, & that most of them were from Tiruvannamalai.
The chairperson of the Tiruppur district welfare board told the Court that only on July 28, the Labour Department officials had conducted a raid & found 95 workers, including 42 adolescents & 2 children. Since many adolescent workers complained about low wages, they were rescued & sent back to their native districts.
The Court was also told that the mill had been permitted to employ only 250 persons, whereas 331 were found to be working during the police raid on Thursday. When the Judges interacted with some of the adolescent children through videoconferencing on Friday, they didn't complain about working conditions but appeared to have been tutored.
Though they alleged that the mill management was also educating them, the Judges wondered how that would be possible when the modus operandi of the mill appeared to be to target young boys & girls & engage them for employment. The Senior Judge in the Bench also expressed surprise over the children having been transported from Tiruvannamalai to Tiruppur.
“This is a classic case demonstrating how corrupt government servants utilise any situation to make illegal gain,” the bench said, & directed the mill management to explain, by Aug 20, how it managed to transport so many people from one district to another during the pandemic.
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