The National Human Rights Commission will hold an online hearing on 9 July in 86 cases concerning alleged bonded labour at brick kilns in several Haryana districts.
The officials are expected to present detailed action-taken reports. The Commission has asked for information on the identification and release of bonded labourers and their registration on the e-Shram portal for unorganised workers.
The hearing will examine how district magistrates responded to complaints forwarded by the NHRC. It will also review compliance with the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and relevant Supreme Court directions, including the Bandhua Mukti Morcha and Asiad Workers cases.
Rehabilitation is a separate part of the review. The Commission will seek the status of financial assistance, skill training and alternative-livelihood support for people identified and released, rather than treating release from a worksite as the end of the process.
The agenda includes progress on e-Shram registration, which can connect eligible unorganised workers with a formal record used for social-security measures. Authorities must also explain steps taken to prevent the alleged practice from recurring in the identified districts.
The Supreme Court assigned the NHRC a role in monitoring compliance with the abolition law and related court orders in May 1997. The latest hearing uses that monitoring function to bring state and district authorities before the Commission in a single online proceeding.
The 86 matters remain allegations to be examined through reports and the hearing; the announcement is not a final finding against every kiln or person named in the complaints. The immediate public test is whether authorities can document release, rehabilitation and preventive action in each case.
