"Fundamental Rights For All": Sex Workers To Get Voter IDs, Ration Cards, Says Supreme Court

"The fundamental rights are guaranteed to every citizen of the country irrespective of his/her vocation," said the Supreme Court, directing the Centre, all states/UTs to issue voter, Aadhaar and ration cards to sex workers.

Observing that fundamental rights are guaranteed to every citizen irrespective of vocation, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre, all the states and union territories to commence the process of issuing voter, Aadhaar and ration cards to sex workers and keep providing dry ration to them.

The Supreme Court, hearing a plea that has raised the problems faced by sex workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been passing orders for their welfare and on September 29 last year, it had asked the Centre and others to provide dry ration to them without insisting on their identity proof.

A bench comprising justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna rued that the directions of the Supreme Court on providing ration cards to the sex workers were passed in 2011 but they are yet to be implemented.

"The state governments and UTs were directed to issue ration cards and identity cards to sex workers almost a decade back and there is no reason as to why such directions are not implemented till now," the bench said.