The Supreme Court in its judgement on Monday said that no one in the country could be forced to get vaccinated, and rejected the petition challenging the mandatory COVID19 vaccine mandates as unconstitutional.

“Considering bodily autonomy, bodily integrity is protected under article 21 of the Indian Constitution, no one can be forced to get vaccinated, but the government can regulate in areas of bodily autonomy,” the division bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice L Nageswara Rao said, in his verdict today.

The Supreme court also, in its judgment, today said that the current vaccine policy in India could not be said to be unreasonable and manifested arbitrarily.

“In no way, it can be said that the current vaccine policy in India could be unreasonable and manifested arbitrarily,” the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court today in its judgement.

The Top Court passed the verdict after hearing a petition filed by a former member of the National Technical Advisory Group, Dr Jacob Puliyel, who sought the disclosure of clinical trial data of Covid vaccines and a declaration that mandatory vaccination was unconstitutional.

The Apex Court said that with regard to the segregation of vaccine trial data, subject to privacy of individuals, all trials conducted and to be subsequently conducted, all data must be made available to the public without further delay.

The Supreme Court also said in its verdict that the conditions imposed by the state governments and organisations restricting access of unvaccinated people to public places was not proportional and should be recalled in the present prevailing conditions.

On the basis of administering vaccination, the Supreme Court said that the police of the Union of India is not against the Constitution and any statute.

It, however, said, no data has been placed controverting the material filed by the petitioners.

The Top Court also in its judgement today said that we recognise the decision taken by the Union of India to vaccinate children as it is on par with international standards and disposed off the petition.

The Supreme Court, in its judgement today, directed that the Central government will have to publish reports on adverse events of vaccines on a “publicly-accessible system without compromising the data of the individuals who are reporting the vaccine effects”.