The Patna High Court has dismissed as withdrawn a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking a direction to the respondents to vaccinate all girls between 9 and 14 years to protect them from cervical cancer.
The PIL has been filed by a cancer patient under chemotherapy. There is also a direction sought to include the same in National Immunisation Schedule (NIS).
The acceptance of vaccination is the informed decision of an individual and her family. Inclusion in the NIS is also a decision to be taken by the medical experts considering various aspects, the Division Bench of Chief Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice Nani Tagia noted.
“There can be no judicial decision precipitating such matters. We do not think that the public interest litigation would be maintainable on this ground. When we expressed our opinion, the learned Counsel for the petitioner sought permission to withdraw the writ petition,” the order reads.