The High Court of Tripura has issued a notice to the state government, expressing deep concern over the alarming rise in AIDS cases within the state, particularly among school and college students. The court has demanded a response from the state government within two weeks.
The matter came to the court’s attention through a letter from Justice T. Amarnath Gaur, the acting chairman of the State Legal Services Authority, addressed to Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh. In his letter, Justice Gaur highlighted the increasing number of AIDS cases among the youth and provided detailed data illustrating the severity of the issue.
In light of the letter and the gravity of the situation, the High Court of Tripura initiated a suo moto case. Government lawyer Kohinur Narayan Bhattacharya confirmed receipt of the notice and said that a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Arindam Lodh, had taken up the case.
The bench sought detailed explanations from the state’s education and health departments, along with other relevant organizations and stakeholders, regarding their plans to address and mitigate the rising AIDS and drug addiction cases among students. The court also inquired about the measures implemented so far to combat this public health crisis.
Recent statistics from the Tripura government indicate that 1,790 individuals were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS during the 2023-24 period, reflecting a positivity rate of 0.92%. This surge in cases has raised significant concerns among the people.
Samarpita Dutta, the Project Director of the Tripura State AIDS Control Society, recently said that a total of 828 students had registered as People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) between April 2007 and May 2024. Tragically, 47 of these students had succumbed to the disease over the past 17 years.
