India's Supreme Court has permitted the country's first case of passive euthanasia – the withdrawal of artificial life support – for a 32-year-old man who has been in a vegetative state for over 12 years. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on Wednesday allowed the discontinuation of life support for Harish Rana, a resident of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, who suffered severe head injuries after falling from a building in 2013.
The court stated that the patient's next of kin and medical boards had reached the opinion that clinically administered nutrition (CAN) should be discontinued. The bench was hearing a petition filed by Rana's father, seeking permission to withdraw life-sustaining treatment for his son, with the family arguing that Rana was being kept artificially alive.
In its ruling, the court noted that Rana exhibited "no meaningful interaction" and had been dependent on others for "all activities of self-care." His condition "has shown no improvement," and doctors had already concluded that he has virtually no chance of recovery. India recognized passive euthanasia in 2018, allowing the removal of life support under strict conditions to enable natural death, but this marks the first judicial approval for an individual case.
Since Rana does not have a living will – a legally binding document outlining medical care preferences in terminal conditions – he could not provide consent for passive euthanasia, prompting his parents to petition the court. Active euthanasia, involving the direct administration of substances to cause death, remains illegal in India.
The debate in India over allowing death dates back to the 2011 case of Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse who spent 42 years in a vegetative state following a brutal sexual assault. The Supreme Court rejected her family's plea to end her life but issued a landmark opinion recognizing passive euthanasia under strict safeguards and judicial approval, which paved the way for the expanded 2018 ruling. Euthanasia remains a deeply divisive global issue, balancing patient autonomy against the sanctity of life.
Source: www.aljazeera.com