NEW DELHI: The government on Monday introduced a bill in Lok Sabha for the repeal of 295 antiquated laws, including the Lepers Act of 1898 , the Foreign Recruiting Act of 1874 and the Indian Tramways Act of 1902 among others.

The NDA government has so far repealed 125 obsolete laws through two similar bills introduced and passed by both Houses of Parliament.

Though leprosy is curable, the Lepers Act still equates people affected by leprosy with those suffering from lunacy. And under provisions of several marriage acts and Indian divorce act it serves as legitimate ground for divorce.

On a reference made from the law ministry to review discrimination against affected people, the law commission had recently submitted a report along with a draft bill that not only recommends repeal of the Lepers Act 1898 but seeks special privileges that are available for dalits and other marginalized classes of society.

“Leprosy is now a completely curable disease that can be rendered non-infectious early on in treatment itself, through multi-drug therapy, which has cured more than 15 million persons over two decades yet the laws are discriminatory in India,” law commission chairman Justice A P Shah had told TOI.

The law panel has recommended that a leprosy-affected person can not only stand for elections but should be given land rights and other special privileges similar to those awarded to SC/ST for other communities for their upliftment.

The Repealing and Amending (Fourth) Bill, 2015 was introduced by law minister D V Sadananda Gowda, amid din over the Lalit Modi controversy.

The latest bill will seeks to scrap a total of 295 obsolete acts, including 157 which were part of a third amendment bill which was earlier withdrawn by the government last week since some of the laws mentioned in it had already been struck off.

