Supreme Court rejects Aruna Shanbaug’s euthanasia plea
March 7th, 2011 - 12:23 pm ICT by ANINew Delhi, Mar 7 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the petition filed by author Pinki Virani for the mercy killing of comatose nurse Aruna Shanbaug, confined to a bed in Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital for the last 37 years in a vegetative state after a brutal sexual assault.
A bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Mishra had on March 2 reserved the verdict after hearing submissions of Attorney General G E Vanhanvati, senior counsel T R Andhiarujina acting as an amicus curiae, petitioner’s counsel Sekhar Naphade and senior advocate Pallabh Sisodia for King Edward Memorial Hospital.
The plea for Aruna’s mercy killing had been made by author Pinki Virani who told the court that she cannot see or speak properly and keeping her alive violates her right to live with dignity.
The government forcefully argued against a petition in the apex court that seeks mercy killing for Aruna Shanbaug, a 64-year-old comatose nurse.
Aruna Shanbhag, a nurse from Haldipur, Shimoga, Karnataka, was assaulted by a Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, a ward boy at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital in 1973.
Walmiki was motivated partly by resentment for being ordered about and castigated by Shanbaug. On the night of November 27, 1973 he attacked her, while she was changing clothes in the hospital basement for leaving her shift.
He choked her with a dog chain and sodomized her. The asphyxiation during the course of the assault cut off oxygen supply to her brain resulting in brain stem contusion injury and cervical cord injury as well as leaving her cortically blind. (ANI)
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Tags: 37 years, apex court, aruna shanbaug, asphyxiation, brain stem, changing clothes, dog chain, euthanasia, gyan, hospital basement, karnataka, king edward memorial hospital, mishra, oxygen supply, petitioner, senior counsel, sexual assault, sudha, vegetative state, virani