Nagpur doctor transmits HIV to wife

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37-year-old Archana Chaturvedi nee Choubey knows she's fighting a losing battle. But the post-graduate in sociology is determined to clinch the other battle that she is fighting in the court of law. On bed for three months now, a frail Archana wants her husband and in-laws to be jailed for life. "Death," she says, "will be a soft punishment for them."
Here's why: Five months ago, seven years after her marriage to the dentist son of a former dean of medical college in Lucknow, when she suddenly slid into a critical condition, Archana learnt she had contracted HIV from her husband and has now developed AIDS.

"Her husband virtually gifted her death in marriage - any punishment to that family will be smaller," avers Archana's lawyer father, Girish Choubey. "How could he do this to her? He knew he was HIV positive, and yet…"

The septuagenarian lawyer, who has fought many a legal battle for his clients, is now fighting a crucial battle for his daughter.

Archana got married to Dr Harshwardhan Chaurvedi of Lucknow in November 2000, but from 2005 her health conditions showed sudden and inexplicable signs of deterioration. Her father-in-law Dr Prakash Chandra Chaturvedi retired as a dean of a medical college. Yet, ironically, he never took her to any doctor, allegedly for the fear of getting "exposed".

It was only on January 15, 2007 that she learnt that she had contracted HIV from her husband and is now suffering from AIDS. That was when her condition worsened.
Archana braved the alleged harassment by her in-laws for years. "They used to sedate me every day," she says. "She never complained to us, but strangely she did not even once come to know about HIV," says her father.

With much difficulty, the Choubeys brought Archana to Nagpur in a critical condition during the first week of February 2007.

"On February 3, I took her to our family doctor, who decided to conduct blood tests and the next day he called me to reveal that she had AIDS," informs Archana's father.
Archana filed a formal complaint against her husband and in-laws with the Nagpur police in mid March; a fortnight after, her father lodged the FIR.

In March, the police arrested her husband and mother-in-law when they came to see her in hospital here, only to be bailed out a week later.

The local police did not include sections 308 (attempt to culpable homicide) and 420 (cheating) against the husband and in-laws of Archana. Had they slapped those offences, the duo could not have secured bail, feels Choubey.

Dissatisfied with the police investigations, Archana has now, with the help of her father, moved the Nagpur bench of Mumbai High Court asking the court to direct the police to include those two sections in the offences against her in-laws.

The high court has already sent notices to the Nagpur police and secretary (home) to showcause why these two sections should not be included in the FIR.

Also, the petition prays that the police should be made to collect records pertaining to the medical case history and treatment of Archana's husband.

Death will be a soft punishment for them. They used to sedate me every day.”
—Archana Chaturvedi

Her husband virtually gifted her death in marriage - any punishment to that family will
be smaller. She never complained to us.”
—Girish Choubey,  (Archana's lawyer father)