No one can be forced to take the vaccine, the Supreme Court said today in a landmark decision on India’s Covid vaccine policy, also directing the central government to publish reports on the adverse effects of vaccination.
“Bodily integrity is protected under the law and nobody can be forced to be vaccinated,” the Supreme Court said. The court asserted, however, that “certain limitations on individual rights” could be imposed in the interest of community health. “Barring Covid-appropriate behaviour, we suggest no curbs on unvaccinated individuals in access to public places, services and resources if cases are low,” the Supreme Court said
The Supreme Court additionally directed the Centre to publish reviews on adversarial occasions of vaccines from folks and medical doctors on a publicly accessible system, with out compromising the main points of the people reporting them. “Regarding segregation of vaccine trial data, subject to the privacy of individuals, all trials already conducted and to be subsequently conducted, all data must be made available to the public without further delay,” the court docket stated.
A petition by Jacob Puliyel, a former member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), had argued that states mandating vaccination for accessing benefits or services is a violation of citizens’ rights, and therefore, unconstitutional. Many states, said the petition, had made vaccines necessary for state government employees, for travel in public transport and to access subsidised food grains.
Hon’ble Mr. Justice B R Gavai,
Judge Supreme Court of India
Hon’ble Mr. Justice L N Rao
Judge Supreme Court of India
