The Supreme Court on Wednesday strongly condemned the continued use of hand-pulled rickshaws in Matheran, Maharashtra, labelling the practice as “inhuman” and a direct violation of human dignity. The Court has ordered a complete phase-out of these rickshaws within six months and instructed the Maharashtra government to introduce electric rickshaws (e-rickshaws) as a humane and sustainable alternative. It also directed the state to ensure proper rehabilitation for those affected by the transition.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria was hearing petitions related to the e-rickshaw pilot project in Matheran, a town where automobiles are banned due to its eco-sensitive status. The bench observed that the use of hand-pulled carts still prevalent 78 years after Independence violates the constitutional promise of social and economic justice.
Quoting a 1979 judgment (Azad Rickshaw Pullers Union case), the Court lamented that such exploitative practices still exist. It reiterated that economic compulsion cannot justify labour that undermines human dignity, referencing the 1982 ruling in People’s Union for Democratic Rights v. Union of India, which classified the non-payment of minimum wages as forced labour under Article 23.
The bench made it clear that continuation of hand-pulled rickshaws in modern India is unacceptable and instructed that the practice be stopped immediately. “Permitting such a practice in a developing country like India diminishes the values enshrined in the Constitution,” the Court said.
Highlighting the need for a viable alternative, the Court suggested that the Maharashtra government replicate the e-rickshaw model introduced in Kevadia, Gujarat where e-rickshaws are state-purchased and leased to workers. The Matheran Monitoring Committee, under the local Collector, was asked to identify genuine rickshaw pullers and estimate the number of e-rickshaws needed. Any surplus vehicles could be distributed to tribal women and other locals as a livelihood measure.
Importantly, the Court asserted that financial constraints cannot be used as an excuse to delay or deny implementation. “Non-availability of funds cannot be an excuse for non-implementation of the aforesaid scheme,” the bench stressed.
To protect Matheran’s fragile ecology, the Court permitted the laying of paver blocks only along the route from Dasturi Naka to the Shivaji Statue, strictly prohibiting concrete or block construction on inner roads and trade routes. Any existing concrete paths must be replaced with paver blocks, it said.
This landmark order stems from an interlocutory application filed in the long-running T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad forest conservation case, through which the Court has issued some of India’s most significant environmental rulings.
Back in May 2022, the Court had cleared a pilot project allowing limited e-rickshaw use in Matheran. By January 2024, it clarified that only existing handcart pullers would be eligible for licenses. In April, the number of e-rickshaws was capped at 20, with permission granted to operate them for both tourists and residents.
This week’s decisive ruling marks a historic step toward ending the colonial-era practice of human-pulled transport and reinforces the Court’s commitment to constitutional values of dignity, equality, and justice.
