‘Personal Autonomy and Public Health’, 2022 (Jacob Puliyel vs. Union of India)

Citing “Bodily integrity and personal autonomy”, the Supreme Court said that no individual can be forced to get vaccinated against Covid-19, but added that “as long as there is a risk of spreading the disease, there can be restrictions placed on individuals’ rights in larger public interest”.

• Moreover, in the interest of protection of communitarian health, the government is entitled to regulate issues of public health concern by imposing certain limitations on individual rights.