Supreme Court Refused the Mercy Killing for Aruna Shanbaug

The Supreme Court of India in its decision, on 7 March 2011, refused to bring an end to Aruna Shanbaug’s life with euthanasia. However, for the first time in India, the Supreme Court’s judgment, written by Justice Markandey Katju stated that it is lawful to withdraw life-support of a patient in a persistent vegetative state and allow death to take place. This is termed as passive euthanasia. On this, the court agreed with writer Pinki Virani’s opinion as amicus curiae and disagreed with the opinion of the attorney-general of India. 

A bench of Supreme Court comprising Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra gave the judgment.

Aruna Shanbaug, while working as a nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, was sexually assaulted in 1973 and has been in a vegetative state since the assault.