A Communist Party of India [ Images ] member of Parliament on Thursday made a strong case for legalising mercy killings.

Referring to 25-year old former chess champion, K Venkatesh, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, S Sudhakar Reddy said the government must come forward with a comprehensive Euthanasia Act.

Euthanasia is the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition.

Venkatesh and his mother K Sujatha's plea that the former's organs be allowed to be harvested has been rejected by the Andhra Pradesh high court.
 
The court ruled that the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1995, has no provision to allow individuals to donate organs before they are brain-dead.