The Delhi government on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that it has instructed the official and authorities concerned not to put posters outside the residence of any home isolation COVID-19 patient and that all the posters which are already posted outside the residence of such patients should be immediately removed.
Advocate Satyakam, Additional Standing Counsel representing the Delhi government, submitted that there is no direction to the officials of GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi) to share the names of COVID-19 positive patients with Residential Welfare Associations (RWA) or any other person.
After the submission of the Delhi government, a division bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad disposed of the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking framing of guidelines to do away with pasting posters outside the homes of COVID-19 positive persons.
Earlier, the High Court had issued notice to the Delhi government on the plea, filed by one Kush Kalra through advocate Kush Sharma. The petition sought directions to Delhi Government to issue directions to its officials, employees, agents, representatives to desist from circulating names of COVID-19 positive persons to any person especially RWAs, Whatsapp groups, etc.
The PIL said that pasting posters outside houses of persons, who test positive and are required to stay in home isolation, is a serious infringement of the fundamental right to privacy established by the Supreme Court of India.
Besides, the names of persons who test positive are being freely circulated to RWAs by officials of the health department of respondents which are in turn being circulated on RWA Whatsapp Groups, the plea said.
Stressing that this is also leading to stigmatisation and drawing of unnecessary attention when in reality COVID-19 persons ought to be given privacy to cope with and recover from the illness in peace away from prying eyes, the plea said that "rather, they are being made the centre of public attention of over-inquisitive neighbours and busy-bodies in their colonies".
The petition also said that the process of publicising the names of COVID-19 positive people is turning out to be counterproductive. People are shying away and deliberately choosing not to test themselves to shield themselves from the public embarrassment and stigmatisation which is being caused by pasting posters outside homes and circulation of names of COVID-19 positive persons to all and sundry, the plea said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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