18 Oct 2007 THE TIMES OF
CHANDIGARH: Following a Times of India story on Harsh Sharma, a woman who put herself on sale along with her five-year-old son because she could not pay for the medical expenses of her ailing husband, the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a landmark order on Wednesday directed the state government to immediately provide compensation of Rs 50,000 to the 34-year-old woman.
The money, the court said, is to be used for the treatment of Bhupinder Singh, the husband of Harsh, who is undergoing treatment at
A PIL filed by advocate-activist Ranjan Lakhanpal in the HC had sought free medical care to patients suffering from serious ailments and unable to get their families' support for whatever reasons. In Harsh's case, her in-laws refused to help her as their son married her against their wishes, and her own parents are no more. It was after she sold off all her ornaments and belongings and still fell short of the required amount in medical fees that she took the extreme step of auctioning herself and her child.
In his petition, Lakhanpal said that free medical care should be given under Article 21 of the Constitution and that no person should be allowed to die for want of medical care.
Recognising the right to get free medical aid, the court, while giving interim relief to Bhupinder, adjourned the case to December 11 as the state had sought time to file its reply in the matter.
Bhupinder met with an accident on August 28 on his way home, along with his friend, in the city's
With Thanks from THE TIMES OF
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