Kerala Government Notifies High Court That Government Portal Was Redesigned To Protect HIV Patients Using Programs
Last Updated on November 24, 2023 by News Desk
Issue
Tinku Biswal, Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department, recently informed the Kerala High Court that the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) webpage had been modified to include a page exclusively for HIV-positive people in an attempt to preserve the privacy of such applicants. Only the appropriate District Collectors or their designated officials would have authority over this page.
Facts of the Case
The development is the result of a plea that maintains that in order to benefit from a government order that provides HIV-positive people with Rs. 6,000/-largesse every six months, applicants—many of whom are from the lowest socioeconomic strata—must use platforms such as Akshaya Center to help them upload their applications and medical records. The applicants’ confidentiality and privacy are allegedly violated by this. According to Biswal, after the ART Center’s authentication of the certificates they gave, the file would be returned to the District Collector (or another approved authority). After offering their opinion, the District Collector would forward the paperwork to the Finance Department for payment. She said that the Finance Department would then make the necessary, highly confidential investigations and disburse the monies to the recipient in line with the financial conclusion and budgetary projections.
Courts analysis and decision
In their own privacy and without any assistance from a third party, the Court noted that the existing design would provide a patient to submit their application and certificates. Noting the internationally acknowledged protocols in this domain, the Court further underscored that its first duty is to ensure that HIV patients are never exposed to unwanted attention or privacy infringements. The site need to be active as quickly as feasible, it was thought. The gateway had already been built, but Biswal retorted that it would take an additional month to finish the procedure. In order to allow for further consideration, the Court decided to postpone the case until December 11, 2023.
Written By: Nikita Shankar @nikitaashankar
