Even in the time when it is calculatedly said that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’, we still console with an old adage that suits our the judicial system, ‘Better late than never’ because we believe that despite strong criticism and loathing, people still take their personal and professional matters to the court in the hope of justice, no matter how much the time it takes. In a recent instance, the Supreme Court of India has finally taken ‘Suo-Moto’ cognizance of the miseries of migrant workers that has occurred due to prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. The Apex court has ordered the Centre and the States governments to immediately provide transport, food, and shelter free of cost to the stranded migrant workers. This order has come almost two months after the government left these migrants workers jobless and homeless on 25th of March 2020, the day when the country was imposed under lockdown to break the chain of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). Not only the delay that the Apex Court took in providing succour to migrant workers, who had been pushed to unprecedented hardships, but the court also faced kind of criticism from members of the Supreme Court Bar Association, leaders of opposition political parties and human rights activists for not speaking up against their miseries. The Apex court and High courts did not show any response to the wretchedness of these poor workers, nether it undertook any Public Interest Litigations (PILs) in this regard. The government’s initial denial of providing transportation facility to these millions of workers compelled them to walk back to their villages. The scorching heat, hunger, and water-thirst, besides carrying their lifesaving house-hold articles bundled in a piece of cloth and children broke their resolve of having any popular government for them. No one has accurately taken pain to record the number of workers who died on their way back home due to heat, hunger, and fatigue, but newspapers carried some side stories. The plight of illiterate un-skilled migrant workers, including females of all ages who spread all over India from their villages in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, and Chhattisgarh, have been apparently ignored and appeared their woes and cries never reached the ears of those at the helm of affairs. After almost two months of pain and agony these migrant workers confronted and hours before the Apex court ordered in their favour, ten senior lawyers from Delhi and Mumbai wrote a hard letter to the Supreme Court (SC) of India, very critical of its “self-effacing deference” to the government, “unwillingness” and “apparent indifference” in the face of the “enormous humanitarian crisis” badly affecting the lives of migrants, some of them dying on way to their ancestor villages. The scorching heat, hunger, and water-thirst, besides carrying their lifesaving house-hold articles bundled in a piece of cloth and children broke their resolve of having any popular Indian government for them The senior lawyers like P. Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, Indira Jaising, Vikas Singh, Iqbal Chawla, and Navroz Seervai among others asserted that the style that the Supreme Court has chosen to believe the “bland assertions and patently incorrect statements” made by the mercy of the executive with ‘Diamond bright, Diamond hard hope” that something would be done”. The lawyers in their letter stated that the way Supreme Court chose to trust the bland assertions and patently incorrect statements presented by the Government reminded them, how it functioned (Supreme Court of India) during the emergency era. Justice Ajit Prakash Shah, former Chief Justice, Delhi, and Madras High Courts and former Chairperson, Law Commission of India appeared to be much more forthright in castigating the way Supreme Court is treating such public interest litigations. In his view, PILs are a specific instrument designed to ensure the protection of the rights of the poor, downtrodden and vulnerable, and “any member of the public” can seek appropriate directions on their behalf. According to news reports, the Supreme Court had received the lawyers’ letter late on Monday (27 May 2020). The decision to take Suo-Moto cognizance of the “miseries and problems” of migrant workers during the lockdown was made on Tuesday. The court order admitted that there were “inadequacies and certain lapses” in government measures. The letter further emphasized that the migrant workers’ issues are not a ‘policy issue’. They raise constitutional issues. This Court has the power under Article 142 to undertake any measure to do complete justice. The show of helplessness does not do justice to the court’s motto of ‘Yato dharmastato Jaya’. The Congress leader and spokesman Randeep Surjewala who had also approached the SC to become a party to the Suo Motu case on migrant workers crisis amid lockdown stated that the stranded workers were unable to approach the government in their dire circumstances, so it was the obligation of the government to reach out to them and make them aware of the welfare/benefits provided for them during the lockdown. However, putting end to criticism and whataboutery, the court admitted that the “crisis is even continuing today with large sections of migrant labourers still stranded on roads, highways, railway stations, and State borders”. Effective concentrated efforts were required to redeem the situation, it noted. The Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan said in a written order, “Adequate transport arrangement, food, and shelters are to be provided immediately by the Centre and the State governments free of cost. Although the Government of India and the State governments have taken measures yet there have been inadequacies and certain lapses”. The court also asked Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta to assist the court and produce on record by day May 28 measures taken by the Centre so far to alleviate the migrants’ suffering. It referred to newspaper and media reports on helpless migrants forced to travel thousands of miles on foot or bicycles during the lockdown. This was the time when these poor and deprived sections of society needed help from the Central and State governments to survive the harsh lockdown. The writer is a senior journalist and Indo-Pak peace activist