SC asks Centre, states to eradicate leprosy, remove discriminatory laws
New Delhi, April 24: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Central and state governments to work for eradication of curable leprosy, and remove provisions from laws that discriminate against and stigmatise those affected from the disease.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said asked the states to file a report, along with compliance affidavit, in six weeks on details about the steps taken to remove objectionable provisions from various statutes which discriminated against the persons suffering from the disease.
"The Centre and states shall rise to the occasion and act to eradicate the disease. Leprosy is a curable disease in the obtaining circumstances," said the bench.
The apex court's direction came after taking into considerations the submission of Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand who submitted that Central government was taking steps to ensure deletion of certain provisions from a number of enactments as these cast "stigma" on persons suffering from leprosy.
The court was hearing a PIL by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (VCLP) which has listed 119 state and central laws that discriminate against leprosy patients and stigmatise them.
Senior advocate Raju Ramchandran, appearing for VCLP, had said these provisions in the central and state laws discriminate against the persons suffering from leprosy and also violated the fundamental rights of persons affected by leprosy under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
He had added that these provisions deny them equal treatment under personal laws, in matters of employment and appointment or election to public office, as well as access to and free movement in public places.
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Supreme Court of India YouTube channel hacked, promoting cryptocurrency scams
New Delhi: The YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India appears to have been hacked, with videos promoting XRP, a cryptocurrency developed by US-based Ripple Labs, currently being displayed. The channel, which streams live hearings of Constitution Bench cases and matters of public interest, recently broadcasted the proceedings of the suo motu case concerning the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder.
Hackers have reportedly made earlier videos private, and a live stream titled "Brad Garlinghouse: Ripple Responds To The SEC's $2 Billion Fine! XRP PRICE PREDICTION" is now visible on the channel. Scams involving the hacking of popular video channels are not uncommon, and Ripple had previously sued YouTube for failing to prevent scammers from impersonating its CEO, Brad Garlinghouse.
According to a report by The Verge, scammers have been creating fake accounts for Ripple and Garlinghouse, often by hacking successful YouTube channels. These hacked channels, with their large subscriber bases, are then used to promote fraudulent XRP schemes, misleading viewers into making payments in exchange for promises of rewards.
Supreme Court officials have confirmed that the channel's hacking is under investigation.
