In a significant ruling, the Orissa High Court has appointed a wife as the legal guardian of her husband, who has been in a comatose state since February 2024. The court emphasized that, in the absence of specific legislation, the wife is best suited to manage her husband’s personal, financial, legal, medical, and business affairs. Justice Sanjeeb Kumar Panigrahi noted that when a husband loses the ability to make decisions, “there can be no person more naturally, morally, or legally suited than the wife to act as his guardian.”

The husband’s condition resulted from multiple organ failure and a cardiac arrest, leaving him unconscious and requiring constant medical care. As the primary caregiver, the wife sought the court’s intervention to manage her husband’s ongoing business obligations and personal affairs. The court’s decision fills a legislative gap and underscores the importance of judicial intervention in such matters.

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