US EditionSC Orders End of ‘Inhuman’ Hand-Pulled Rickshaws in Maharashtra's Matheran
RAIGAD, MAHARASHTRA, AUG 6 – The Supreme Court mandated a six-month phase-out of hand-pulled rickshaws in Matheran and ordered a rehabilitation scheme for affected workers, highlighting human dignity concerns.
- The Supreme Court of India ordered on August 6, 2025, to halt the 'inhuman' practice of hand-pulled rickshaws in Matheran within six months, directing Maharashtra to switch to e-rickshaws.
- Underlining human dignity, the court directed that permitting hand-pulled rickshaws 78 years after independence belittles the constitutional promise of social and economic justice.
- Within this eco-sensitive, automobile-free hill-town, hand-pulled rickshaws move roughly 4,000 residents and nearly 8 lakh tourists annually, with pullers working under compulsion.
- The court directed the Matheran Monitoring Committee to identify genuine hand-pulled rickshaw pullers and assess e-rickshaw needs, while mandating Maharashtra to implement a rehabilitation scheme regardless of funding issues.
- Positioning the judgment as precedent, the court directed Maharashtra to adopt the Kevadia, Gujarat model and allowed laying paver blocks on the four-kilometer route from Kasturi Naka to Shivaji Statue.
12 Articles
12 Articles
SC ends ‘inhuman’ decades-old practice of hand-pulled carts in Matheran, suggests e-rickshaw route
Automobiles are banned in Matheran due to ecological concerns. For the hill-town, the bench ordered Maharashtra to adopt the e-rickshaw policy followed in Gujarat’s Kevadia.
Top court calls hand-pulled rickshaws 'inhuman', asks for pullers' rehabilitation
Chief Justice of India, Justice BR Gavai, while expressing his concern on the matter, called it unfortunate. The court observed that such practices are inhuman and “belittle constitutional promises.”
Supreme Court bans hand-pulled rickshaws in Matheran
"Permitting such an inhuman practice, which hits at the basic concept of human dignity in a country like India, which is a developing country, belittles the constitutional promise of social and economic justice," the court added.
SC bans ‘inhuman’ hand-pulled rickshaws in Maha town - The Tribune
Terming it “inhuman” practice, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra Government to stop hand-pulled rickshaws operated in Matheran — a hill station thronged by lakhs of tourists in peak seasons and switch over to e-rickshaws within six months.
Supreme Court Calls Hand-Pulled Rickshaws ‘Inhuman,’ Orders Maharashtra to Replace Them with E-Rickshaws in Six Months - The Logical Indian
In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of India has declared the age-old practice of hand-pulled rickshaws in Matheran, Maharashtra, “inhuman” and unconstitutional, ordering their complete ban within six months. The bench, led by Chief Justice B. R. Gavai, instructed the Maharashtra government to implement e-rickshaws and design a comprehensive rehabilitation programme to guarantee that rickshaw pullers are not left jobless. The move directl…
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