In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday permitted 32-year-old Harish Rana to undergo passive euthanasia, allowing the withdrawal of life-support measures after more than a decade in a vegetative state.
A bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K.V. Viswanathan directed All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi to immediately admit Rana and initiate the medical process required to withdraw life support.
Who is Harish Rana?
Harish Rana, originally from Ghaziabad, was a student at Panjab University in 2013 when a tragic accident changed his life.
According to court records, Rana fell from the fourth floor of a paying guest hostel, suffering a severe brain injury. Doctors placed him on life support following the incident, and he has remained bedridden ever since.
13 Years In A Vegetative State
After the accident, Rana slipped into a permanent vegetative state. For the past 13 years, he has lived with 100% disability and quadriplegia, paralysis affecting all four limbs.
He has relied on a tracheostomy tube to breathe and a gastrojejunostomy tube for nutrition. His daily survival has depended entirely on medical equipment and constant care.
Medical reports presented to the court stated there had been no improvement in his condition during the entire period, with doctors indicating no realistic prospect of recovery.
Court Stresses Dignity In Life And Death
In its judgment, the Supreme Court emphasised that human dignity must remain central to decisions concerning life and death.
The bench observed that when a person’s life is prolonged solely through artificial means with no hope of recovery, allowing them to die with dignity can be a humane choice.
The court noted that maintaining life indefinitely through mechanical support in such circumstances could conflict with the principle of dignity.
What Is Passive Euthanasia?
In legal terms, passive euthanasia refers to withdrawing or withholding medical treatments, medications, or life-support systems that are sustaining a patient’s life, allowing death to occur naturally.
This differs from active euthanasia, where death is intentionally caused through a drug or injection. Active euthanasia remains illegal in India.
Court’s Observation
While delivering the verdict, the court noted that Rana was once a promising young student in his early twenties. However, the devastating fall from the hostel’s fourth floor caused irreversible brain damage, leaving him in a vegetative state ever since.
