Kerala High Court permits 17-year-old to donate liver to her father

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday permitted a 17-year-old daughter to donate a part of her liver to her father, who is suffering from a liver ailment.

The court allowed his daughter Devananda PP to give a part of her liver to her father PG Pratheesh, a resident of Kolazhy, in Thrissur district. In a writ petition filed by Devananda under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, she had sought permission to donate a portion of her liver as she could not find a donor.
The livers of the other family members were not found to be a match with her father's.

The 48-year-old father is battling Decompensated Chronic Liver Disease with Hepatocellular carcinoma, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

They were unable to find any matching liver from his family except his daughter. But the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act does not permit a minor to donate an organ.

Congratulating Devananda, the Single Bench of Justice VG Arun said parents are lucky to have children like her. "It is heartening to note that the unrelenting fight put up by Devananda has finally succeeded. Court applauds the petitioner's fight to save her father's life," the court stated.

Devananda approached the court in the quest of legal sanction too donate a part of her liver to her ailing father. The court issued the order on the basis of the report submitted by the expert committee.

They submitted a report saying Devananda was fully aware of the consequences of her decision and requested the court not to reject the plea to allow transplantation as the donor would attain 18 years of age in five months.
Earlier, doctors prescribed a liver transplant as the only viable cure for his chronic liver disease.