New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS): The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the city government and police to file a status report, within 10 days, on compliance of its earlier directions on compulsory registration of placement agencies.
Issuing notice to the Delhi government, Delhi Police and the central government, a division bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice Manmohan sought their response by Nov 6.
Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, appearing for petitioner NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, told the court that recent case in the city's posh Vasant Kunj area where a teenaged girl was allegedly tortured and assaulted by her employer shows cruelty against domestic help, mostly placed by agencies which are completely unregulated.
"Such incidents show domestic workers are being incessantly tortured and these girls are mostly being placed there by placement agencies which are completely unregulated," he said.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO, seeking compulsory registration of placement agencies within a period of one month and compliance of court's earlier directions on the issue.
"The court had issued detailed directions and directed compulsory registration for all placement agencies in Delhi within a finite time. This was not done and the illegal trade of trafficking kept increasing exponentially," the NGO said referring to the high court's earlier directions.
On Aug 4, 2011, the Delhi government gave its nod to the Delhi Placement Agencies (Regulation) Bill, but this is still languishing, the plea said, alleging inaction of the government in compliance with the court's directions.
The high court had held in March last year that the bill should be enacted within two to three months but nothing has been done till date, the plea said.
"In two sessions and nearly 25 sittings of the assembly, the bill has not even been tabled. The government is completely non-serious about the bill," said the NGO.
The petitioner sought the immediate registration of all placement agencies operating in the capital to prevent alleged trafficking of women and minors by unregistered and unregulated placement agencies.