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ShareNew Delhi: The supreme court today issued a notice to the Centre on a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of a provision which permitted employment of children for hazardous beedi rolling in home-based workshops as part of family labour andgovernment funded/aided schools.
A bench comprising chief justice KG Balakrishnan and justice P Sathasivam sought the response from the ministry of labour, women and child development and the ministry of health on a plea filed by an NGO 'Health for Millions'.
Advocate Anand Grover submitted that employment of children in beedi-making in cottage industry was going on unabated as a provision in the legislation against child labour was coming in its way to stop their entry.
He saidthe proviso (exception) to Section 3 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 allows a child to be lawfully engaged in home-based beedi-making processes and government funded schools manufacturing beedis.
The NGO said the proviso is violative of the Article 24 which prohibits employment of children below 14 years of age in hazardous industries.
