Only option: Couple seeks euthanasia after financial ruin, 9 deaths in family
A 73-year-old man and his 68-year-old wife from Gujarat's Surat have written to the District Collector seeking permission for euthanasia, alleging years of physical, mental
A 73-year-old man and his 68-year-old wife from Gujarat's Surat have written to the District Collector seeking permission for euthanasia, alleging years of physical, mental and financial harassment by officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and local political leaders. In their plea, Shyambhai Kapoorji Gehlot and his wife Madhuben have claimed that repeated sealing of their shops has left them financially devastated and emotionally exhausted. Read Full Story On November 7, 2016, nine members of their family — including their only son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, daughter, son-in-law and another relative — died in a road accident.
Since then, the elderly couple said they have been living alone, dependent on each other. The Gehlots said they purchased 11 small shops in 2006 and had been paying taxes regularly after the locality came under the SMC’s jurisdiction in 2008. According to their complaint, in 2021 the then SMC Executive Engineer sealed the shops without prior notice. The couple approached the Gujarat High Court and fought a legal battle for nearly five years. After a fire department report stated that the small shops did not require fire safety measures such as those applicable to large establishments, the shops were finally reopened on January 31 this year, the couple claimed.
However, they alleged that soon after their High Court victory, the shops were sealed again on May 30, allegedly on the instructions of the incumbent Executive Engineer. The couple claimed that no written notice or reason was provided before the action. Shyambhai Gehlot alleged that officials were pressuring him to meet a local BJP leader and claimed there was an attempt to take control of his properties. He alleged that despite repeatedly seeking answers, he was not given any written explanation for the sealing.
“We have no desire left to live. If justice is not possible, death is the only option left,” he said in his appeal to the Collector. The couple has requested authorities to grant them permission for euthanasia, saying they are unable to bear the alleged harassment any further. Ends
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