Caught in the relentless grip of COVID-19, several State governments have invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act, first drafted to deal with bubonic plague that swept Maharashtra in 1897. Confronted with the unexpected sight of people defying the lockdown, State governments and the Central government rushed to announce remedial measures. We recognise with great unease that governments easily dispense with basic human rights in the name of managing pandemics. Do decisions to control the pandemic have to be at the expense of human rights and democracy? “The most vulnerable and neglected people in society,” she recommended, “must be protected both medically and economically.” She gave sage advice, democracy does not permit trade-offs.

Source: The Hindu April 06, 2020 18:32 UTC