HC allows comatose man's wife to operate his bank accounts

The Karnataka high court has permitted a woman to operate her comatose husband's bank accounts, appointing her as his legal guardian and directing banks to permit her unhindered access to funds for his treatment and the family's sustenance.

- Ayesha Arvind

BENGALURU:

Justice M Nagaprasanna, passed the order on April 29, allowing the petition filed by Bengaluru resident, Sandya Anil Kumar, whose husband, HV Anil Kumar, a retired professor, has been in a comatose state since June 23, 2024, following a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder that causes progressive paralysis.

The court noted that the petitioner's husband had been in the ICU for almost nine months and had lost all ability to write or sign any bank document. The petitioner therefore, was left with no source of money even for her day-to-day sustenance, it noted.