Updated: December 9, 2020 12:15:30 pm
A sign outside the home of a coronavirus patient in Vadodara. (Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)
The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it was no longer necessary to place posters or signs outside the homes of positive patients, to indicate that they had the disease, unless there was an address from a competent authority. The supreme court said authorities could put up posters in specific cases under the Disaster Management Act.
The comments were made by a court of judges Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah, who were hearing a petition against different state governments for putting up posters outside the homes of isolated patients.
No more sticking posters outside the homes of Covid-19 patients unless the competent authority gives instructions to that effect according to the Disaster Management Law; The Supreme Court tells the states and UT. The Center had already told the court that it had not prescribed such a practice. @IndianExpress
– Ananthakrishnan G (@axidentaljourno) December 9, 2020
Attorney General Tushar Mehta noted that although the Center had not prescribed this action, some states were doing it on their own, perhaps to avoid inadvertent contacts.
“The central government, through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has already communicated with the Principal Secretaries / Principal Secretaries / Additional Secretaries (Health) of all the states and UT (Union Territories) pointing out that the Guidelines of the MoFHW not to contain any instructions or guidance regarding the posting of posters or other signage outside the residences of people who found positive for Covid, ”the Center said in an affidavit to the higher court.
During a hearing on the matter last week, the bank had noted that putting up posters could lead to occupants being treated as “Untouchables”.
The matter went to a hearing after petitioner Kush Kalra moved to the Delhi High Court to ask for guidelines to eliminate the practice of pasting such posters be framed. He argued that the fact that patients’ identities were made public and posted on social media groups etc. was “leading to stigmatization and drawing unnecessary attention.” This, in turn, resulted in these individuals “stepping aside and deliberately choosing not to be tested,” the petitioner claimed.
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