India, July 21 -- Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J Angmo on Monday moved the Delhi High Court to appeal against an order refusing to interfere with the fasting activist's ongoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital. In her appeal, Angmo contended that the single judge's Sunday order illegally confines Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital without any arrest and effectively directs that neither the activist nor his wife has decisive authority in determining his medical treatment. The appeal said that the order does not address "informed consent" or one's right to accept or reject any medical treatment. In a special Sunday hearing, Justice Mini Pushkarna had refused to interfere with Wangchuk's treatment at Safdarjung Hospital here, stating that the government's removal of the fasting activist from Jantar Mantar to a government hospital cannot be called arbitrary.
The single judge had opined that no interim order to immediately transfer the activist was required at this stage. The observation came on a petition filed by Angmo seeking permission to shift him to a private facility. The order said Safdarjung doctors were closely monitoring the activist, and it could not be said that any force was being used against him in violation of his bodily integrity. Taking note of the Delhi High Court's July 16 order directing authorities to monitor Sonam Wangchuk's health and provide medical intervention if necessary, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed that the government was within its rights to shift him to Safdarjung Hospital in view of his medical condition.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.