The Supreme Court while hearing a plea against the practice of affixing posters outside the covid patient’s house noted that such practice often leads to stigmatization and patients are treated like ‘untouchables’.
The petition was filed challenging the practice of putting up warning posters outside the isolated covid patient’s residence by various state governments which caused stigmatization by the members of the community as well as the neighborhood. The petitioner contended that such practice was primitive since it was carried out in the 18th-century plague and the same was in violation of the fundamental right of privacy and right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the constitution. The petitioners also argued against disclosure of names of patients by the RWA and other housing societies’ managements in their WhatsApp groups and such which made the patients exposed to further scrutiny by the people which added to their woes.
The plea was brought before the three-judge bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice BR Gavai, and Justice MR Shah. The court observed that such practice of putting posters on the patient’s residence lead to stigmatization of such patients and remarked “The hard reality is that many such patients are treated like untouchable". The learned solicitor general Tushar Mehta appearing for the central government submitted that such posters were only put up as a warning to ensure that nobody inadvertently enters the house of a covid patient and further added that the central government has already submitted an affidavit regarding the same. The learned solicitor general also remarked “If a poster humiliates or stigmatizes a person then it should be avoided. But if it warns a person from inadvertent entry then it is up to the State government”
The court asked the petitioner to respond to the centre’s affidavit. The court will take up the matter for further hearing on December 3.
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