Every morning in Indore, Kumari Chandrakanta Jethani wheels herself into a government school classroom—her body paralyzed, her spirit in constant battle with pain.
For 7 to 8 hours each day, she teaches with unwavering courage, despite her body no longer cooperating, every breath heavy with suffering. But now, the strength that once defied her condition is dwindling.
In an emotional and desperate appeal to President Droupadi Murmu, Jethani has written a letter seeking permission for euthanasia. She says she can no longer bear the agony, and yet, refuses to take her own life.
“I will not commit suicide because I teach my students to live with courage,” she wrote, as reported by The Times of India. “But my body no longer supports me.”
Jethani’s current condition, she claims, is the result of medical negligence—a wrong medication during a hospital stay changed the course of her life.
She was later moved to an ashram where her health further deteriorated. Bound to a wheelchair, she now lives with excruciating, constant pain, relying on sheer willpower to show up and teach.
Despite everything, her dedication to education has never faltered.
She has donated her property for the welfare of school children and pledged her organs and body to Indore’s MGM Medical College, hoping to help others even in death.
“My organs are no longer useful to me. But if they can restore someone’s sight or save a life, they are more precious than the Kohinoor diamond,” she said.
Now, she says she has reached the edge of her endurance. Her appeal is not just for herself, but for dignity in death—something she feels is being denied despite living with courage and sacrifice.
The Legal Dilemma: Compassion vs. Constitution
Jethani’s request has sparked a national debate on the right to die with dignity. Under Indian law, active euthanasia—administering a substance to end life—is still illegal and would require new legislation.
Only passive euthanasia (withdrawing life support), under strict conditions, is permitted following landmark cases.
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In Gian Kaur v. State of Punjab (1996), the Supreme Court ruled that the “right to die” is not part of the constitutional “right to life.”
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That interpretation shifted in the Aruna Shanbaug case (2011), where the court, for the first time, allowed passive euthanasia for those in an irreversible vegetative state.
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In 2018, the Common Cause judgment granted individuals the right to make living wills, enabling those terminally ill to request withdrawal of life support.
But Jethani’s case does not fall under any of these categories. She is conscious, articulate, and still functioning in society—though in unbearable suffering.
Her situation highlights a gap in Indian law: What of those who are not vegetative but are living with unrelenting, incurable pain? Where does compassion fit in such legal confines?
“I go through excruciating pain every day,” Jethani said. “This is not living—it’s just surviving.”
Without a legal framework for active euthanasia, her plea falls outside the judiciary’s protection, leaving her stuck between a life she cannot endure and a law that cannot help.
As her story spreads, it poses difficult questions to society and lawmakers alike:
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Can unbearable physical pain be a valid reason to choose death?
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Should mental awareness exclude someone from the right to euthanasia?
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And most of all—when will India give a legal voice to silent, suffering lives like hers?