Tweet
The Supreme Court has asked a team of Mumbai doctors to appear before it on March 2 to explain the condition of Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug, who has been lying in a vegetative state in a hospital bed for 37 years and for whom her friend has sought mercy killing.
In January, a Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra appointed the team of Dr. J.V. Divatia, Dr. Roop Gurshani and Dr. Nilesh Shah with a direction to examine the patient and submit a report. On February 17, the team submitted a report along with a CD. The Bench, after perusing the report, asked the doctors to appear in the court to answer questions, explain the report and give their views on euthanasia.
The court passed this order on Friday, on a writ petition filed by Aruna through her friend Pinki Virani of Mumbai.
Technical terms
The Bench said: “On a perusal of the report of the committee of doctors we have noted that there are many technical terms which a non-medical man would find it difficult to understand. We, therefore, request the doctors to submit a supplementary report by the next date of hearing [by e-mailing a copy two days before the hearing] in which the meaning of these technical terms is also explained.”
The Bench asked the Centre to arrange for the air travel expenses as well as stay of the three doctors in Delhi and also to provide them conveyance and other facilities so that they could appear in the court.
Pathetic state
According to the petitioner, Aruna, 60, has been in a pathetic state in the KEM hospital, Mumbai, since November 1973. When she was working as staff nurse there, she was assaulted and sodomised by a sweeper, who later strangulated her with a dog chain to immobilise her. Her brain cells got damaged and since then she has been in a vegetative state. Mashed food is being administered through the throat to keep her alive. There is no possibility of any improvement in Aruna's condition, and her continued vegetative existence is a violation of her right to live in dignity, the petitioner said and sought a direction that food be stopped.
In January, a Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra appointed the team of Dr. J.V. Divatia, Dr. Roop Gurshani and Dr. Nilesh Shah with a direction to examine the patient and submit a report. On February 17, the team submitted a report along with a CD. The Bench, after perusing the report, asked the doctors to appear in the court to answer questions, explain the report and give their views on euthanasia.
The court passed this order on Friday, on a writ petition filed by Aruna through her friend Pinki Virani of Mumbai.
Technical terms
The Bench said: “On a perusal of the report of the committee of doctors we have noted that there are many technical terms which a non-medical man would find it difficult to understand. We, therefore, request the doctors to submit a supplementary report by the next date of hearing [by e-mailing a copy two days before the hearing] in which the meaning of these technical terms is also explained.”
The Bench asked the Centre to arrange for the air travel expenses as well as stay of the three doctors in Delhi and also to provide them conveyance and other facilities so that they could appear in the court.
Pathetic state
According to the petitioner, Aruna, 60, has been in a pathetic state in the KEM hospital, Mumbai, since November 1973. When she was working as staff nurse there, she was assaulted and sodomised by a sweeper, who later strangulated her with a dog chain to immobilise her. Her brain cells got damaged and since then she has been in a vegetative state. Mashed food is being administered through the throat to keep her alive. There is no possibility of any improvement in Aruna's condition, and her continued vegetative existence is a violation of her right to live in dignity, the petitioner said and sought a direction that food be stopped.