The Centre for Health Equity, Law & Policy (C-HELP) is pleased to announce the launch of COVID-19 and the Constitution, a unique online knowledge resource on COVID-19 and the law. The project, which has taken the shape of an interactive web-based timeline, documents law and policy responses to COVID-19 and places them in the context of Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.

The project has three core components:

●      A comprehensive database of law and policy responses of the Central Government, and the governments of the NCT of Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, arranged chronologically. The database presents each law or policy response in relation to Constitutionally guaranteed Fundamental Rights.

●      Stories and voices which are first-hand accounts of people’s experiences of COVID-19, which portray the human cost of the COVID-19 catastrophe, and suggest the rights issues that are implicated.

●      Analytical pieces from experts, that comment on the impact of the COVID-19 law and policy response on Fundamental Rights.

Through these components, COVID-19 and the Constitution fills a critical knowledge gap and serves as a fertile ground for research, reflection, and humane, rational, evidence-informed, rights-based, transparent and accountable interventions. This resource seeks to make the reader question, critique and develop constructive suggestions for a robust law and policy response to the present and future health challenges, in alignment with India’s constitutional values.

This project is intended as a resource for everyone! Academics, lawyers, health professionals, public health experts, students, policy researchers and makers, social workers, and activists can explore the documentation at https://covid-19-constitution.in/.

COVID-19 and the Constitution is a living project that will be continually updated to reflect the shifts and changes in law, policy and society wrought by the pandemic. We invite you to explore the website and go through the Timeline. In the months to come, C-HELP will add to the database, update the Timeline, and collate more stories and analyses. We hope you will share this tool through your networks. For any feedback or queries do write to us at [email protected].