By Abhijith Ganapavaram and Arpan Chaturvedi
NEW DELHI, July 19 (Reuters) – Indian authorities were right to move hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to a government hospital because he had not admitted himself despite his deteriorating health, a court said on Sunday, declining to order his immediate discharge.
The Delhi High Court said the government’s decision to move Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital against his wishes was not arbitrary. It ordered a status report to be filed before the next hearing scheduled for Friday.
Wangchuk, 59, has been fasting since June 28 in solidarity with India’s Cockroach Janta Party, which was formed by Indian youths and is demanding federal Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan step down over exam paper leaks in May that affected millions of students.
The campaign has emerged as a rare public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and has drawn support across India.
Judge Mini Pushkarna said doctors had administered only oral fluids and supplements with Wangchuk’s consent, adding: “It cannot be said that any force is being used against Mr Sonam Wangchuk or that his bodily autonomy is being violated in any manner whatsoever.”
Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, had sought permission to transfer him to the privately run Vedanta Hospital, alleging he was being held in “illegal detention”. Her lawyers argued that she was entitled to have him treated at a hospital of their choice.
The government opposed the request, saying it had to be cautious about Wangchuk’s health and that his wife and close family members had been given round-the-clock access to him.
Safdarjung Hospital said earlier on Sunday that Wangchuk’s vital parameters were stable, although his blood parameters remained “marginally altered”, and that he required sustained medical intervention and round-the-clock monitoring.
On Thursday, the Delhi High Court asked authorities to watch Wangchuk’s health closely and intervene if needed, in response to a petition asking authorities to force-feed him as his health weakened.
The CJP plans to march to Parliament on Monday, the first day of its latest session, to press its demands.
(Reporting by YP Rajesh, Arpan Chaturvedi, Abhijith Ganapavaram, additional reporting by Saurabh Sharma; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Sharon Singleton)
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