New Delhi, April 21: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that motor accident victims are entitled to high-quality prosthetic limb that is integral to their lives, saying that for amputees, such artificial limbs get them “closest to the life experienced” before the onset of disability.
A bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said a prosthetic limb is not merely a medical device but an indispensable part of an amputee’s self-belief and empowerment.
Referring to a legal maxim ‘restitutio in integrum’ (restoration to original condition), the top court said, “For amputees, a prosthetic limb would get them closest to the life experienced, before the onset of their disability. The device, apart from empowering them, is integral to their life, giving them confidence and self-belief. The appliance is so personal to the individual that its indispensability can only be better appreciated by the person disabled.”
The verdict came on an appeal filed by Prahlad Sahai, a driver who lost his right leg below the knee after his motorcycle was hit by a Haryana Roadways bus in 2007. (PTI)
