The Supreme Court of India recently took up the issue of physical and sexual abuse faced by sex workers as a result of a 2010 public interest litigation ("PIL") filing on behalf of several sex workers. The case arose out of a criminal appeal by the defendant who had been convicted of murdering a sex worker. In its dismissal, the Court took note of the harassment and abuse that sex workers contend with every day and recognized that "prostitutes also have a right to live with dignity." It then converted the case moto into a PIL, which called into question the constitutionality of India's sex worker policies itself. Observing that "prostitutes also have a right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India since they are also human beings," the Supreme Court directed the appointment of an ex pert panel to consider any potential reforms regarding the rights of sex workers and to compile recommendations to the Court. The Court directed the National Commission for Women ("NCW") to attend these panel meetings and propose legislative reforms.