New Delhi, March 12 Former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar hailed the Supreme Court's historic order allowing the passive euthanasia of a 32-year-old man, stating that it decisively affirms the individual's right to end a state of vegetative existence.
In a statement, he said that by correlating compassion, justice, and dignity, the judges have eloquently vindicated their oath of office as custodians of the constitutional conscience.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the withdrawal of artificial life support from Harish Rana, who has been in a coma for more than 13 years, stating that the government should consider enacting comprehensive legislation on passive euthanasia.
In the top court's first-ever order on this emotionally charged issue, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan directed AIIMS-Delhi to ensure that life support is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained.
Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of allowing a patient to die by withholding or withdrawing life support or the treatment necessary to keep him alive.
Kumar said that the Supreme Court's judgment in Harish Rana's case decisively affirms the individual's right to end a state of vegetative existence, "which is inconsistent with the fundamental right to live and die with dignity."
"The compelling judgment, authored by Justices Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan, affirms the judicial obligation to implement its earlier edicts on the subject at a time when the court is being criticized for not enforcing its own decisions," he said.
"The key distinction of this landmark judgment is that it is grounded in compassion, the non-negotiable right to dignity, is anchored in constitutional scholarship, and the demands of justice in extraordinary circumstances," he said.
The judgment, which lies "at the intersection of love, loss, medicine, and compassion," is a tribute to human sensitivity beyond the ordinary, the former law minister said.
"By urging the government to fill the legal vacuum, the court has ensured certainty in the law on a subject that concerns the core constitutional value," he said.
"By correlating compassion, justice, and dignity, the justices have eloquently vindicated their oath of office as custodians of the constitutional conscience," Kumar said in his statement.
