‘Sir, my client hasright to die!’

Counsel thunderedwith shine in his eyes

And Constitution ofIndia in his hands

Somehow he knew

This judge was sureto upheld

Right to die and togive

A groundbreakingjudgement

Which makes a counsel

 Famous star in one single night

His client wasterminally ill

Living on drugs toopainful

‘Have mercy on him

At least let him diepeacefully!’

Counsel argued atlength and length

With plethora ofprecedents in his hands

‘No Sir, No.’ shouted

Counsel for the State

‘Don’t give licenseto kill to doctors

‘Don’t let husbandskill their ill wives

‘Don’t let the wiveskill their ill husbands

‘Don’t let sons killtheir ill parents

‘Don’t let parentskill their ill sons

Don’t legalizemurders and suicides’

Counsel for Sateargued in air

To  justify denial of a natural right

With arguments allfallacious

All sitting in courtknew pretty well

This judge was sureto upheld

Everyone’s right todie

When one is no moreable

To carry one’s cross

Surprised were oneand all

When judge declinedto upheld

Right to die anddismissed the case

Somewhere after midnight

When moon lit the sky

The judge committedsuicide

Advocates at bar knewit well

He was in advancestage

He was terminally ill

He was passingthrough

Pains unbearable

He accepted arguments

And still dismissedthe case

For reasons bestknown to a judge

As a man he was weak

As a judge he wasstrong

(The story is partly true. It was heard that One HC Judge suffering from terminal illness shot himself with revolver. Other parts are imaginary- From my book, “Tomato Soup for Judges and Lawyers”)

Right to die is complicated issue. Former Supreme Court Justice Markendey Katju has given a judgement on issue. But in this case woman herself was not the petitioner before court. Court has pondered on several national  and International judgements on issue. The Court was also assisted by Senior Most Advocates of Supreme Court. However, I think something there is still missing, that is ability of person to suffer pain.


A Supreme Court lawyer suffered cancer. Doctor asked him not to smoke and not to drink. He told me, “What is there in life if a person is not allowed to smoke and drink. He continued to smoke and drink and died in few months.