 Summary of this article
- The bench of J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan allowed the plea filed by the family of Harish Rana, who has shown no meaningful neurological recovery since a 2013 accident.
- The ruling follows the court’s earlier recognition of the right to die with dignity in Common Cause v. Union of India.
- The decision could shape future medical and legal handling of end-of-life care for patients in prolonged vegetative states.
In a significant ruling on end-of-life rights, the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday allowed doctors to withdraw life-sustaining treatment for Harish Rana. He has been in a persistent vegetative state for past 13 years. The court said life support can be removed under legal safeguards. This is the first time the court has permitted a case specific passive euthanasia under the existing legal framework.
A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan granted relief to the family of Harish Rana, who has been in a vegetative state since suffering severe head injuries in 2013 after a fall from a building. Medical records placed before the court indicated that Rana has shown no signs of meaningful cognitive response and has remained entirely dependent on assisted feeding and long-term care. |
