Over 300 activists and non-profit organisations have criticised the recent remarks made by Supreme Court judge, Justice B.R. Gavai, on homeless persons.

On February 12, while hearing petitions pertaining to the lack of night shelters to house the urban homeless in Delhi, Justice Gavai said, “By not making these people a part of the mainstream society, are we not creating a class of parasites? Because of freebies, when elections are declared, people are not willing to work… Would it not be better to make them a part of mainstream society so that they can contribute to the nation?”

The statement, signed by the activists, said his remarks reflected “an anti-poor bias in the judiciary”.

It noted that the homeless, who are the most vulnerable among the urban poor, formed the backbone of the urban informal economy.

“Their contribution to the cities’ development and sustenance is indispensable. Calling the homeless ‘parasites’ who are unwilling to work on account of getting freebies is symptomatic of the callousness and insensitivity that is a mark of the powerful and the privileged,” it said.

“Little is done to provide a safe and healthy life for the homeless individuals and families. The average age of death among the urban homeless is around 40 years given the epidemics of undernutrition and life-threatening illnesses,” the statement said.

Noting that an alarming number of homeless persons had died during the past winter months, it said: “As per the records available on Delhi Police’s public portal, more than 750 unidentified dead bodies have been found in Delhi since November 15, 2024. It is established that almost all of these are of the homeless. This figure gives an average of almost 10 people dying on the streets of Delhi everyday.”

It is the responsibility of society and the institutions of governance and justice to protect the lives of the most vulnerable without blaming and shaming the victims, the statement added.