Delhi High Court orders daily health monitoring of activist Sonam Wangchuk on indefinite fast

New Delhi: Authorities have been directed by the Delhi High Court on Thursday to monitor daily the health of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the NEET exam and provide medical aid if his health were to deteriorate.

A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia ordered that Wangchuk's condition should be regularly checked by government doctors, asserting that a citizen's life was precious and all medical efforts ought to be made by authorities to save it.

"We observe that the life of any citizen is precious and all medical efforts ought to be made by government authorities to save the same," the court said.


Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre as well as the Delhi government, in his submission stated that there was no objection to undertaking Wangchuk's regular medical checkup and that the life of every individual was precious.

"We appreciate the stance taken by the learned Solicitor General and accordingly direct that the medical condition of Wangchuk shall be clinically and otherwise regularly monitored on daily basis, and depending on the opinion of the doctors, whatever medical intervention is required to check his deteriorating health condition shall also be taken," ordered the court and concluded the proceedings on a PIL concerning Wangchuk’s health.

The protest has been held by the Cockroach Janta Party for over 25 days demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's to resign over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, to which Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has been on an indefinite fast since then.

The High Court questioned the Solicitor General about the existence of a mechanism to check the fasting activist's health condition and if the authorities had such reports, to which the Solicitor General responded that a health checkup was done on a daily basis and Wangchuk and others were informed of his parameters.

"Whenever he has permitted government doctor to do that, I think we would be having (the reports). Sometimes a private doctor also comes to check," Mehta added.

However, the court said it wanted government doctors to examine Wangchuk and intervene when necessary.

"We are not on private doctors. We would like this person to be regularly medically checked up by government doctors and intervene depending on the report. If medical intervention of any kind is required, please intervene. Life is precious," observed the court.

Rakesh Kumar Saini, in his PIL, submitted that the authorities should intervene and take care of Wangchuk's deteriorating condition when the situation demands, to "discuss the issue" with him and also sought a direction to force-feed the activist.

The PIL said that the court would not allow the state to let a citizen "voluntarily die of hunger" even if the government did not seem concerned.

"If Wangchuk loses his life, it would be a matter of great shame for the country, and the least the government is expected to do is give him immediate medical attention to save his life," the PIL added.

The plea further said the government's failure to act in the present situation would virtually amount to commission of offence of abetment of suicide.

It further asserted that holding a peaceful protest was a fundamental and democratic right of a citizen.