As per the plea, the 11-month-old child, who is the daughter of an Indian Air Force official, was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1, a rare genetic disorder.

Without timely and appropriate treatment, the disease leads to progressive paralysis and respiratory failure leading to death, often within the first two years of life, the plea states.

The court was told that the only known life-saving treatment for SMA is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved gene therapy Zolgensma, which can stop or reverse the disease if given within the first two years of life.

However, the treatment costs a whopping ₹14.2 million, which is far beyond the financial capacity of the ailing child’s family, it was argued.