Supreme Court Scraps Provision Invalidating Marriage with Leprosy Patients

Kathmandu, April 27: The Supreme Court of Nepal has struck down a legal provision that invalidated marriages involving a person suffering from leprosy.

A Constitutional Bench led by Acting Chief Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla, along with Justices Kumar Regmi, Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Sharanga Subedi and Abdul Aziz Musalman, issued the ruling.

According to court spokesperson Arjun Koirala, the decision repeals provisions in the Civil Code Act, 2074 BS, that treated leprosy as grounds to invalidate marriage.

The verdict follows a petition filed by advocate Prahlad Mahat and others, who argued that such a provision was discriminatory, noting that leprosy is treatable and affected individuals can lead normal lives.