Epilepsy in India

In the Western World (Europe and North America), we like to think that we are fairly well-educated about epilepsy.  At least, we know that it is not caused by spirits or that it is not “catching.”  However, still in some countries, especially Africa and southeastern Asia, there is open discrimination against people with epilepsy.

India has been slow to accept people with epilepsy as equals.  One fundamental right they are denied is driving privileges for the seizure-free. Second, there is outright job discrimination, since a common belief in society is that people with epilepsy cannot /do not want to work. The opposite is true; people with epilepsy actually want to and do work harder to prove themselves.  In addition, for a long time, people with epilepsy were equated with the insane regarding marriage according to the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 and Special Marriage Act of 1958 which forbade them to marry. If such a marriage did take place, it would be void according to Hindu law.  In 1996, the Indian Epilepsy Association filed litigation challenging the law, and finally in 1999, marriage for people with epilepsy was legalized in India.

Resource

http://www.ilae.org/Visitors/policy/documents/Epilepsy-and-Law-in-India.pdf