Definition
A short colonial-era law of 1897, passed to fight bubonic plague in Bombay, that empowers governments to take special measures and issue regulations to prevent the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases; it was amended in 2020 to protect health workers.
Background and evolution
In 1896 bubonic plague broke out in Bombay and spread to Pune and other cities. The colonial government passed the Epidemic Diseases Act in February 1897, giving officials sweeping powers to inspect houses and travellers, segregate and hospitalise suspected patients, and destroy infected property. The way these powers were used in Pune, including forced house searches by soldiers under the Special Plague Committee headed by W. C. Rand, caused deep public anger. In June 1897, Rand and another officer were shot by the Chapekar brothers, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak was later tried for sedition over his writings in the Kesari during this period.
After Independence the Act remained in force. "Public health and sanitation" is a State List subject, while "prevention of the extension from one State to another of infectious or contagious diseases" is in the Concurrent List. States have used the Act to deal with outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue, swine flu and others. Some states, like Tamil Nadu, also have their own public health laws.
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