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The Supreme Court of India, on Wednesday, March 11 2026,authorised passive euthanasia of 32-year-old Harish Rana, who has been in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) for the last 13 years, following an accident in 2013.
This is perhaps the first time the apex court has allowed the use of passive euthanasia to alleviate the suffering of a person.
What happened to Harish Rana?
On August 20, 2013, while celebrating Raksha Bandhan, Harish, then a 20-year-old B.Tech. student at Panjab University, fell from the fourth-floor balcony of his paying guest accommodation in Chandigarh. The fall resulted in severe traumatic brain injury and 100% quadriplegic disability.
Rana remains in the PVS for over a decade. He is bedridden, unresponsive, and dependent on a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a PEG tube for feeding. His parents reportedly sold their home in Delhi to fund his medical costs and moved to a small flat in suburban Ghaziabad.
In July 2024, Rana’s family moved the Delhi High Court seeking passive euthanasia. The court rejected the plea, ruling that since he was not on “mechanical life support” (ventilator), withdrawing treatment would not be possible.
Later in the year, the Supreme Court upheld the Delhi HC’s decision, stating that withdrawing a feeding tube would constitute illegal active euthanasia. The then Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, directed the Uttar Pradesh government to cover Rana’s medical expenses to aid the family.
In January this year, Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan personally met Rana’s parents, who stated that continuing treatment would merely prolong his suffering. The same judges delivered the historic judgment on Wednesday (March 11, 2026).
What next for Harish Rana?
Mr Rana was ordered to be admitted to AIIMS Palliative Care Centre for a “structured and clearly articulated withdrawal” of treatment to ensure he passes away with dignity.
In its judgment, the court broadened the term “life support” and held that clinically administered nutrition (CAN) and tube hydration are medical treatments that may be legally withdrawn. The Bench also urged the Union Government to enact a law on such cases to avoid families facing similar long-term legal battles.
Published – March 11, 2026 02:17 pm IST
