NEW DELHI, Dec 9: Accepting the negatives of publicizing about the Covid patients, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against putting up posters or signs outside the homes Corona positive patients to indicate that they were suffering from the disease. The apex court said such a measure could be taken only with specific direction from a competent authority.
The apex court said posters could be affixed in specific cases by authorities under the Disaster Management Act.
The remarks were made by a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and M R Shah, which was hearing a plea against different state governments for putting up posters outside homes of patients in isolation.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pointed out that the Centre had not prescribed this action but some states were doing it on their own perhaps to prevent inadvertent contact by others with the Covid patients.
“The central government, through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has already communicated to the Additional Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries/ Secretaries (Health) of all States and UTs (Union Territories) pointing it out that the MoHFW Guidelines do not contain any instructions or guidance regarding affixing of posters or other signage outside the residences of those found Covid positive,” the Centre said in an affidavit to the top court.
During a hearing on the matter last week, the bench had noted that putting up posters often led to the occupants being treated as “untouchables.”
The matter came up for hearing in the apex court after petitioner Kush Kalra had moved the Delhi High Court seeking that guidelines be framed to do away with the practice of pasting such posters. He contended that the identities of Covid-19 patients being made public, and being put up on social media groups etc, was “leading to stigmatisation and drawing of unnecessary attention.” This, in turn, resulted in these people “shying away and deliberately choosing not to test themselves,” the petitioner stated.
(Manas Dasgupta)
