Madras High Court dismisses a petition seeking the revealing of COVID 19 affected person’s identity.
A division bench disposed of the petition stating that revealing the identities of the patients may aggravate the “social stigma ” attached to them.
The court also held that apart from social stigma it may also cause law and order and public problems. In certain cases it may also lead to excommunication. The court stated the aforementioned statement in the light of a recent incident where there was an attack by the public on an ambulance carrying a doctor who was also a COVID’19 patient who died due to certain complications.
They observed,
“This Court can take judicial notice of the fact on account of the revealing of the identity of the person/persons, there would be definitely a social stigma and aspersions on account of the same and yesterday when a body of a Doctor, who died on account of COVID-19 complication, sought to be buried there was a law and order and public order problem, which resulted in attacking of ambulance driver, paramedical personnels as well as public servants and the mortal remains of the dead persons were compelled to be buried somewhere else.”
Lawcutor 