Parliament yet to act on end-of-life care law despite repeated SC nudges: RS member
New Delhi (PTI): A member of the Rajya Sabha on Monday urged the government to introduce legislation on end-of-life care for terminally ill patients, pointing out that Parliament has failed to act on the issue despite multiple Law Commission reports and Supreme Court directives spanning two decades.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, IUML MP Harish Beeran (Kerala) called on the government to introduce the Medical Treatment of terminally ill patients (End-of-Life Care) Act, as recommended by the Law Commission, and to mandate palliative care infrastructure at every district hospital and primary health centre.
Beeran's remarks came in the wake of a Supreme Court order last week permitting withdrawal of life support for Harish Rana, who had been in a permanent vegetative state for 13 years following an accidental fall in 2013.
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A bench of Justice Jamshed Pardiwala and Justice K V Viswanathan reportedly had tears in their eyes while delivering the judgment, telling the patient's parents they were not giving up on their son but allowing him to live with dignity, he said.
Citing a series of legislative inactions, Beeran said the Law Commission's 196th Report in 2006 had examined the issue of passive euthanasia in detail and appended a draft law, but Parliament did not act.
The Supreme Court intervened in 2011 in the Aruna Shanbaug case to frame guidelines.
The 241st Law Commission Report in 2012 again proposed a draft legislation. A Constitution bench in the Common Cause case in 2018 issued guidelines, noting explicitly they would operate only until Parliament enacted a law. The guidelines were modified in 2023. The latest judgment in 2026 has again expressed hope that Parliament will act.
"How much more can the Supreme Court stretch Article 21?" Beeran said, referring to the Constitutional right to life with dignity, which courts have interpreted to include the right to die with dignity.
The MP also flagged the financial burden on families, noting that over 65 per cent of all healthcare expenditure in the country is paid entirely out of pocket.
He cited Kerala's community-based palliative care programme, operational since 2008, as a model for the rest of the country. The programme covers every gram panchayat in the state and integrates over 500 NGOs.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
