In a landmark judicial intervention, the Delhi High Court ruled out that “the life of every individual is precious” and directed government medical teams to observe the health status of fasting climate change activist Sonam Wangchuk on a daily basis.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia finally closed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after securing categorical assurances from the Central government that medical aid and clinical assessment will be provided in time to save the life of the activist.
‘Every life is precious’: High Court underlines state’s duty
While holding the hearing on an urgent basis, the bench underscored the constitutionally mandated role of the state to ensure protection of human lives as all the necessary medical facilities have to be kept available at hand.
“We would like this person to be regularly medically checked by government doctors, and, depending on the report of the doctors, if any medication is required, please intervene. Every life is precious,” noted the bench orally on record of the state’s consensus.
The PIL, filed by lawyer Rakesh Kumar Saini, expressed concern about Wangchuk’s alarming physical decline at the Jantar Mantar site of protests owing to massive weight loss and unstable fluctuations in blood sugar levels. The petition had sought directions from the judiciary for transferring the activist to a top state medical facility and initiating medical feeding to prevent any irrevocable damage to organs.
Government shows consent for daily medical check-ups; no objection raised
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the government, told the bench that there are no objections on the part of the administration concerning maintaining health safety measures in connection with the ongoing agitation.
As per Mehta, the officials already have been continuously monitoring the crucial vitals of Wangchuk on-site. He claimed that the required protocol is being followed and that immediate medical attention would be provided to the activist in case of any adverse development as per daily check-up reports made by the clinical team.
Deteriorating health charts put many on guard
This comes as Wangchuk continues his indefinite fast into the 19th day. The 59-year-old educationist had begun his fast from June 28 in support of the student movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) for absolute accountability and resignations of ministers amid irregularities in the NEET-UG examination nationally.
