- (1.)Heard Mr. Colin Gonsalves, learned senior counsel for the petitioner.
(2.)In support of the petition preferred under Art. 32 of the Constitution of India, it is submitted by Mr. Gonsalves that despite the human civilisation has advanced in advancement made in the field of medicine and in spite of civilisation having reached the pinnacle of scientific research, an effective cure, namely, Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) which has been available since 1981 that can completely cure 99% of leprosy bacteria, due to apathy of the Government of India and the State Governments, people are still suffering from the said disease, which is treated as a social stigma.
(3.)It is urged by him, had people been made aware by the competent authorities of the Central Government and the State Governments, millions of people who are suffering from leprosy would have been cured and come to the mainstream of life and would not have been ostracised from the society. Learned senior counsel would contend that because of non-concern, the leprosy affects more than one lakhs twenty five thousand persons yearly throughout the country, which is completely avoidable.