[3] Desiraju was a member of the Indian Administrative Service and served as the union secretary with the Ministry of Health.

[4] During his term as the additional secretary with the Ministry of Health, he initiated the ban on gutka and chewable forms of tobacco, an act that was later adopted and replicated by many states.

The bill was considered path-breaking and introduced provisions that allowed for a person to call out the nature of treatment that one should be provided if they were to develop a mental illness later in their lives.

[5][6][7] An editorial in the British Journal of Psychiatry read "The drafters of India's new legislation have demonstrated wisdom and vision in articulating a legally binding right to such care despite the inevitable challenges and complexities of such a bold move.

[16] At the time of his death, he was working on a book on Carnatic music composer Thyagaraja and mastering Telugu for the project.

[1] Desiraju died from acute coronary syndrome on 5 September 2021, in Chennai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.