Epidemic Disease Act, 1897

The Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 is an act of the Parliament of India enacted under British Raj to tackle the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases in colonial India. The act continues to be in force in independent India.

History

The act was introduced by the British Raj in 1897 after the bubonic plague outbreak in the then Bombay Presidency in the 1890s. The act aimed to provide legal measures to control the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases. It empowered state governments to take special measures and form regulations for inspection of persons traveling by railway or otherwise, and isolation of infected persons and locations as necessary.

Provisions

The act is aimed at preventing the spread of epidemic diseases. It has 4 sections. The section 2 of the act has the following provisions:

• The state government can prescribe temporary regulations to the public/ a person/ a class of people in case it is convinced that the ordinary legal provisions are insufficient to deal with an epidemic outbreak.
• The state government can prescribe regulations for:
  • Inspection of passengers (of train or otherwise)
  • Segregation (in hospitals/ temporary accommodation, etc.)

The section 3 of the act gives penalties for disobeying the regulations. The section 4 provides legal protection to the implementing officers.

Invocation in Independent India

The Epidemic Diseases Act has been invoked several times in independent India to tackle outbreaks of dangerous diseases.

• In the 1950s and 1960s, it was used to control smallpox outbreaks by implementing compulsory vaccination.
• In the 1990s, it was invoked to control outbreaks of plague in Surat and Beed.
• Pune, 2009: to tackle the swine flu outbreak, screening centres were opened and the disease was made notifiable.
• Chandigarh, 2015: for dealing with malaria and dengue.
• Vadodara in Gujarat, 2018: declared the Khedkarmsiya village as cholera affected under this act.
• In 2020, the act was invoked along with the Disaster Management Act to impose lockdown and restrict movement of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In 2022, it was invoked by various states to impose restrictions during Omicron variant outbreaks of COVID-19.

The act remains an important legal framework for central and state governments to implement measures to control epidemics even after independence. It continues to be relevant in India’s efforts to tackle dangerous outbreaks of infectious diseases.