A woman, 49, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking to stop her friend from travelling to Switzerland to undergo euthanasia because of his debilitating inflammatory disease. In her plea, she has sought a direction to the Centre to not grant “emigration clearance” to her friend, in his late 40s and suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.

The man had the first symptom in 2014, and is “now completely bed bound” and can only “walk a few steps inside home”, the plea informs. The petitioner said her friend was earlier receiving treatment at AIIMS but could not continue during the pandemic due to “donor availability issues”.