New Delhi: Calling the practice of humans pulling other humans in carts “inhuman” and a violation of human dignity, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a complete ban on hand-pulled rickshaws in Matheran, Maharashtra. The court directed the Maharashtra government to phase out the practice within six months and introduce e-rickshaws in their place, while ensuring proper rehabilitation for affected workers.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria passed the order while hearing matters linked to a pilot e-rickshaw project in Matheran, a hill town where automobiles are banned due to ecological concerns.
The court expressed strong disapproval over the continued existence of such practices even 78 years after India’s independence, stating that it undermines the fundamental right to human dignity. “Permitting such a practice, which is against the basic concept of human dignity in a country like India, which is a developing country, belittles the constitutional promises of social and economic justice,” the bench observed.
Referring to its 1980 ruling in the Azad Rickshaw Pullers Union case, the court said it was unfortunate that such practices still existed decades later. “The question that we ask ourselves is whether this practice is alive to the constitutional promise of social and economic equality and social and economic justice. The answer will, unfortunately, have to be in the negative,” it noted.
The court unequivocally declared that the practice must end: “We therefore find that the practice of permitting hand-pulled rickshaws needs to be stopped forthwith.”
To address the loss of livelihoods, the bench identified e-rickshaws as a viable and humane alternative. It directed the Maharashtra government to adopt a model similar to that of Kevadia in Gujarat, where e-rickshaws are procured by the state and provided on hire to former rickshaw pullers.
The Matheran Monitoring Committee, headed by the local Collector and operating under Eco-Sensitive Zone regulations, was asked to identify genuine hand-pulled rickshaw operators and assess the number of e-rickshaws required. The remaining e-rickshaws, the court said, could be distributed to tribal women and other local residents to support livelihoods.
Importantly, the bench stressed that lack of funds could not be used as an excuse for inaction. “We clarify that non-availability of funds cannot be an excuse for non-implementation of the aforesaid scheme. We earnestly hope that the state would tender necessary assistance in stopping such an inhumane practice,” it said.
To accommodate limited vehicle movement, the court allowed the state to lay paver blocks along the route from Dasturi Naka to the Shivaji Statue, but prohibited concrete paving on Matheran’s internal roads and trade routes. Any previously laid concrete in these areas must be replaced with paver blocks to protect the town’s ecological balance.
The case emerged as part of the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad forest conservation litigation, one of the longest-running environmental cases in India, through an interlocutory application.
Earlier, in May 2022, the court had permitted a pilot project introducing a small number of e-rickshaws in the Matheran Eco-Sensitive Zone. In January 2024, it clarified that any e-rickshaw permits must be granted only to existing handcart pullers. In April, the number of e-rickshaws allowed in the town was capped at 20, with approval for their use in transporting both tourists and residents.
With this ruling, the court has taken a decisive step towards ending the colonial-era practice of hand-pulled carts, reaffirming the constitutional values of dignity, equality and justice.