· It has long been a blot on Indian society that while leprosy is completely curable, there lingers a social stigma attached to it.
· Even more shocking is that the process of removal of colonial laws, which were unconscionably discriminatory from the beginning, has been bafflingly slow.
· The Lepers Act of 1898 was repealed only two years ago.
· Two recent developments hold out hope to end the entrenched discrimination in law and society against those afflicted by it.
· One was the introduction of a Bill in Parliament to remove leprosy as a ground for seeking divorce or legal separation from one’s spouse.
· Other was the Supreme Court asking the Centre whether it would bring in a positive law conferring rights and benefits on persons with leprosy and deeming as repealed all Acts and rules that perpetuated the stigma associated with it.
· The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018, is only a small step. An affirmative action law that recognises the rights of those affected and promotes their social inclusion will serve a larger purpose.
· Since last year, the Supreme Court has been hearing a writ petition by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy seeking to uphold the fundamental rights of people with leprosy and the repeal of discriminatory laws against them.
· The 256th Report of the Law Commission came up with a number of suggestions, including the repeal of discriminatory legal provisions, abolition personal laws and Acts on beggary.
· The report cited the UN General Assembly resolution of 2010 on the elimination of discrimination against persons with leprosy.
· The resolution wanted countries to promote the understanding that leprosy is not easily communicable and is curable.
· It is possible to end discrimination by law, but society has an even larger role to play.
Source : The Hindu