Allahabad High Court: The Division Bench of Shashi Kant Gupta and Saurabh Shyam Shamshery, JJ., allowed the plea by the wife seeking the approval of being appointed as the guardian of her husband lying in vegetative state.
The Court while acknowledging the fact that there was no legislative enactment providing appointment of a guardian for a person lying in a comatose state considered the fact that they have been called to discharge ‘parens patriae’ jurisdiction. However under Article 226 of the Constitution of India they can pass orders and given directions as are necessary for subserving the ends of justice when no remedy is provided in any statute in respect to persons lying in comatose condition.
The petitioner had approached the High court praying to be appointed as the guardian of her husband who had been lying in a vegetative state in order to protect his interest and administer his investments, business, bank accounts etc. and utilize them when in need to meet expenses towards medical treatment and family welfare. Petitioner’s Counsel, Bidhan Chandra Rai, submitted that petitioner’s husband had been in comatose state for past one and a half years and the Doctors’ had advised that he would remain so until his eventual demise and now the petitioner has the sole responsibility of meeting the medical expenses and marrying her two daughters. It relied on the decision of the Kerala High Court in the case of Shobha Gopalakrishnan v. State of Kerala, 2019 SCC Online Ker 739, whereby a division bench appointed the legal heir of the victim as the guardian, reliance was also placed on the judgment of Delhi High Court, in the case of Vandana Tyagi v. Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, 2020 SCC Online Del 32, which followed the suit.
The Court while allowing the petition further observed the case of Shobha Gopalakrishnan (supra) wherein certain broad guidelines with regard to appointment of guardian qua a person lying in a comatose state were laid, since no specific provision was available in any statute in this regard. The guidelines framed appear to be formidable and sound and, therefore, can be used as framework for formulating guidelines that need to be implemented in the State of Uttar Pradesh till such time, the legislative enactments are framed and specific provisions are made as to how guardians are to be appointed qua persons in a comatose state. [Uma Mittal v. Union of India, 2020 SCC OnLine All 777 , decided on 15-06-2020]
