The Supreme Court will pronounce its judgement on Monday on a plea for mercy killing of a Mumbai nurse Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug who has been living a vegetative existence in the hospital for the last 37 years after being subjected to sexual assault.

A bench of justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Mishra had on March 2 reserved the verdict after hearing submissions of Attorney General G E Vanhanvati, senior counsel T R Andhiarujina acting as an amicus curiae, petitioner’s counsel Sekhar Naphade and senior advocate Pallabh Sisodia for King Edward Memorial Hospital.

The plea for Aruna’s mercy killing had been made by author Pinki Virani who told the court that Aruna was in a vegetative state for 37 years and the only option to rid her of the distress was to take recourse to euthanasia(mercy killing).

Aruna, a nurse in the KEM hospital in Mumbai, was attacked by a sweeper who wrapped a dog chain around her neck and yanked the victim with it on 27th November, 1973 after which he sexually assaulted her.