HC stays Arunachal’s entry permit notification
- July 22, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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HC stays Arunachal’s entry permit notification
Subject : Governance
Context :Arunachal Pradesh had recently issued a notification allowing temporary entry permits for “developmental works in public and private sectors” only to those vaccinated against COVID-19.
Concept :
- The Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court has stayed the Arunachal Pradesh government’s notification mandating vaccination for temporary entry permits.
- The bench held that the notification classifying people into vaccinated and unvaccinated for the purpose of issuance of temporary permits violates Articles 14, 19 (1) (d) and 21 of the Constitution of India.
- Article 14 deals with equality before law. As per the article, the State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. It prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
- Article 19(1)(d) notes that all citizens shall have the right to move freely throughout the territory of India.
- Article 21 of the Constitution of India states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedures established by law.
- The bench noted that there is no evidence available in the public domain that COVID-19 vaccinated persons cannot be infected with the COVID-19 virus, or he/she cannot be a carrier of COVID-19 virus and consequently a spreader of the COVID-19 virus.
Inner Line Permit:
- Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the concerned state government to allow the inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
- Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram are protected by the Inner Line, and lately, Manipur was added. The concept originates from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act (BEFR), 1873.
- The document is an effort by the government to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India.