Supreme Court says 'No' to Posters outside Covid patients 'Home'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, following the Centre's guidelines, ordered that posters and 'signage' (directive or warning indicators) should not be placed outside the homes of patients infected with the corona virus.

Applying posters not in rule book:

The Supreme court also clarified that such posters can be placed only in special cases if the competent authorities issue special instructions under the Disaster Management Act. Said this during a hearing on a petition requesting him to be instructed not to paste the poster.

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"No such guidelines were issued by the centre and it has already issued a letter to governments of states and Union Territories to not follow this practice," the three-judge bench of Justices Ashok Bhuhsa, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah said delivering the verdict.

Justice RS Reddy and Justice MR Shah were also included in the bench. While disposing of the petition, the bench said that the Center has already issued guidelines in this regard, so states and union territories should not put up such posters.

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"Such acts add to the stigma attached to the (COVID-19) disease. The revelation of names fails the test of proportionality and reason," the bench observed in its order on Wednesday.

The Center had earlier told the apex court that the guidelines did not give any direction. Direction to place posters outside the homes of Covid-19 patients are not there. The motive for putting up the posters could not be 'intent to tarnish'.

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