AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR

SOCIAL INCLUSION

DIRECTIVES OF THE
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
FOR ELIMINATING
DISCRIMINATION AND
PROMOTING SOCIAL
INCLUSION OF PEOPLE
AFFECTED BY LEPROSY
INTRODUCTION

The Supreme Court of India bench of Chief
Justice Dipak Misra, and Justices A.M.
Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud passed two
orders directing the Central and state
governments to take certain steps for
rehabilitation of people affected by leprosy
and their integration into society.
eliminating discrimination and promoting
social inclusion of people affected by leprosy
(order passed on September 14, 2018).
In the following pages, you will find a
paraphrased version of the directives,
arranged as per topics.

The apex court delivered the orders in a

Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Vidhi
Centre for Legal Policy praying for repealing
119 laws discriminating against people
affected by leprosy (order passed on July 5,
2018) and in another PIL filed by Pankaj
Sinha against Union of India and Others
(Writ Petition [Civil] No.767 of 2014) for

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AWARENESS RAISING
▪ Undertake a campaign to spread
awareness about the curability of leprosy
so that people affected by the disease
are not discriminated against.
− Ensure that a holistic approach to
awareness raising is adopted.
− The campaigns should extend right up
to the 'gram panchayat' level as such
measures would eventually help in
eradicating the disease, ending the
stigma associated with the disease,
and the discrimination against people
affected by the disease.
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− Create a separate wing for awareness
raising and nominate authorities for
planning and implementing awareness
raising programmes.
− Telecast specific programmes on All
India Radio and Doordarshan on
national and regional channels for
educating people about leprosy.
− The programmes should be telecast
during prime time so that maximum
number of people can watch the
programmes.
▪ Organise massive awareness campaigns
on Anti-Leprosy Day to increase public
awareness about the signs and symptoms
of leprosy and the fact that it is
completely curable with Multidrug
Therapy (MDT).
− Instead, use positive images of people
− Awareness should also be spread
about the free availability of MDT at
all government healthcare facilities in
the country, the prescribed course for
MDT treatment and all other relevant
information related to MDT.
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− The content and information in the
awareness programmes should
discontinue using ‘frightening’ images
of people with leprosy-related
disability.
who have been cured of leprosy,
sharing their experiences of how they
have been cured and how they could
overcome the challenges of leprosy.
▪ Conduct awareness campaigns − Awareness campaigns should also
throughout the year to inform people inform that a person affected by
that treatment for leprosy is provided free leprosy can lead a normal married life,
of cost at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) can have children, can take part in
and hospitals run by NGOs. social events, and go to work or
school like anyone else.
▪ Ensure that awareness campaigns carry
the information that a person affected
by leprosy is not required to be sent to
any special clinic or hospital or
sanatorium, and need not be isolated
from the family members or the
community.

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TR E AT M E NT R E H A B I L I TAT I O N

▪ Ensure that hospitals do not refuse to ▪ Take steps to rehabilitate people

treat leprosy patients.
▪ Ensure that drugs for management of
leprosy and its complications, including
MDT drugs, are available free of cost and
do not go out of stock at all PHCs and
other public health facilities in the country.
affected by leprosy and to bring them
to the mainstream.
▪ Ensure that people affected by leprosy are
issued BPL cards so that they can avail
the benefits under Antyodaya Anna
Yojana (AAY) scheme and other similar
schemes which would help them access
their right to food.

▪ Provide adequate facilities and

opportunities to people affected by
leprosy with deformities for
reconstructive surgery to correct the
deformities.

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▪ Make all efforts to provide MCR footwear,
free of cost, to all people affected by
leprosy who need them.
▪ Consider formulating and implementing a
scheme for rehabilitation of people
affected by leprosy by providing them at
least a minimum assistance, preferably on
a monthly basis.
▪ The Central Government should
consider framing separate rules for
assessing the disability quotient of
people affected by leprosy for the
purpose of issuing disability
certificate in exercise of the power
granted under the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities Act, 2016 (No. 49 of
2016).

▪ Proactively plan and formulate a

comprehensive community-based
rehabilitation scheme that will cater to all
basic needs of people affected by leprosy
and their family members. The scheme
should be aimed at eliminating the
stigma that is associated with the
disease.

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 ENDING STIGMA AND
D I S C R I M I N AT I O N
▪ Ensure that people affected by leprosy are
not stigmatised.
▪ Ensure that healthcare professionals, both
at government- and private-run medical
institutions do not behave in a
discriminatory manner towards people
affected by leprosy while examining and
treating them.
− Treatment of leprosy should be
integrated into the general healthcare
system to promote inclusion.
− Ensure that women affected by leprosy
are not discriminated against and they
are given opportunities for treatment
in any hospital of their choice.
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▪ Explore the possibility of including leprosy
in the school curriculum so as to give the
correct information about the disease and
prevent discrimination against people
affected by the disease.
▪ Ensure that both public and private
schools do not discriminate against
children from families affected by leprosy.
− Such children should not be denied
education.
− An attempt should be made to provide
them free education.
SHARING EXPERIENCE
▪ Organise seminars at all levels that will
serve as platforms to hear the views and
experiences directly from people cured of
leprosy, their families, and other
stakeholders, such as doctors, social
workers, experts, NGOs and government
officials.
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ASSESSING THE LEPROSY
S I T U AT I O N
▪ Undertake periodic national surveys to
determine the prevalence rate and new
case detection rate of leprosy.
− Publish and bring out the report of
the National Sample Survey of
Leprosy conducted in 2010-11 and
subsequent thereto into the public
domain.
− Activities of the National Leprosy
Eradication Programme (NLEP) must
be given wide publicity.
▪ The Leprosy Mission Trust India
▪ CNI Bhawan
▪ 16, Pandit Pant Marg
▪ New Delhi – 110 001
▪ INDIA

www.leprosymission.in +91 (0) 11 4353 3300