Delhi HC allows withdrawal of plea to stop man’s journey abroad for Euthanasia

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed the withdrawal of a plea moved by a 49-year-old woman from Kerala seeking to cancel the emigration clearance of her close friend, a 48-year-old man from Noida, who is allegedly planning to travel abroad for Euthanasia (Physician-assisted suicide).

The petitioner’s counsel apprised before Justice Yashwant Varma that the man was “deeply traumatised” after coming to know about the plea, and she wanted to withdraw it now.

Allowing the submission, the court also directed the Registry to mask the identity of the parties.

As per the plea filed through Advocate Subhash Chandran KR, the man, who does not want to reveal his identity, is bed-ridden and diagnosed with Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which is a complex, debilitating, long-term neuroinflammatory disease.

His symptoms started in 2014 and his condition deteriorated over the past eight years.

Finally, he decided to travel abroad for Euthanasia as the process is not available in India.

He was approaching through Dignitas, an organisation in Zurich, Switzerland which provides physician assisted suicide and he had travelled to Zurich for first round of psychological evaluation in June.

“He is now adamant about his decision to go for Euthanasia, which also affects the life of age-old parents miserably. It is humbly submitted that there still persists a ray of hope for the betterment of his condition,” as per his female friend’s plea.

Foreign nationals are required to obtain a Schengen visa in order to enter any European country in the Schengen Zone. But the respondent man, in the plea, managed to get a Schengen visa which provides free and unrestricted journey within the 26 European countries, including Belgium and Switzerland by providing false information. He obtained a Schengen visa under the pretext of a namesake treatment in a clinic in Belgium, the plea said.

The disease of the Noida man is a poorly understood condition and it is in the early stages of research. The most common symptom is extreme tiredness. ME/CFS can affect anyone, including children.