PIL to do away with posters outside COVID-19 positive homes: HC seeks AAP govt reply

Kalra, in his plea, has contended that freely circulating to RWAs and on whatsapp groups, the names of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 was "leading to stigmatisation and drawing of unnecessary attention".

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought response of the AAP government on a PIL seeking framing of guidelines to do away with pasting posters outside homes of COVID-19 positive persons or those in home isolation. As an alternative, the plea has also sought an order to the Delhi government to direct its officials, employees, agents and representatives to not circulate names of COVID-19 positive persons to anyone, especially resident welfare associations or whatsapp groups.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its stand only on this limited issue. The high court said the other reliefs sought by the petitioner-lawyer, Kush Kalra, with regard to enhancing testing capacity in the national capital, use of indigenously developed kits, reformulating ICMR advisory on testing and validation of RAT kits were already being examined by it in another PIL and therefore, "there is no sense in duplication".

The bench also said the relief sought in the plea for using testing capacity of neighbouring states cannot be granted as earlier such practices were leading to delay in getting the results.  Kalra, in his plea, has contended that freely circulating to RWAs and on whatsapp groups, the names of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 was "leading to stigmatisation and drawing of unnecessary attention". The petition has stated that COVID-19 positive persons "ought to be given privacy to cope with and recover from the illness in peace and away from prying eyes".

"Rather they are being made the centre of public attention..,"it added. It has claimed that this has resulted in persons "shying away and deliberately choosing not to test themselves" to shield themselves from the "public embarrassment and stigmatisation" which is also caused by pasting posters outside homes of COVID-19 positive patients.

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