Supreme Court To Decide Today On Euthanasia Plea Of Man In Coma For 13 Years
The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict today in a deeply emotional and long-running case involving Harish Rana, a man who has been in a permanent vegetative state for the past 13 years.
The court will decide whether life support can be withdrawn, a decision that could mark a historic moment for India’s approach to passive euthanasia and the right to die with dignity.
Harish Rana suffered severe head injuries in August 2013 after falling from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in Chandigarh.
Supreme Court To Hear Plea For CBFC Clearance Of Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’
At the time, he was a civil engineering student with a promising future. The accident left him with 100 per cent disability.
Doctors said he could not move, speak, or respond to his surroundings. Since then, Harish has remained in a vegetative state, surviving only with the help of medical tubes for breathing and nutrition.
For more than a decade, Harish’s parents have lived in a state of constant pain, watching their son lie motionless in a hospital bed.
The family’s life has revolved entirely around his care. Mounting medical expenses forced them to sell their home in Delhi’s Mahavir Enclave and shift to Ghaziabad.
With no improvement in Harish’s condition over the years, hope slowly turned into despair.
UP Man Seeks To Change Birth Year From 1994 To 2005; High Court Orders FIR For Forgery, Cheating
In July 2024, Harish’s parents approached the Delhi High Court seeking permission for passive euthanasia. However, the court rejected their plea, stating that Harish was not fully dependent on machines like ventilators and that removing feeding tubes would amount to active euthanasia, which is illegal in India.
The family then moved to the Supreme Court in November 2024, but their request was again declined, though the court asked the Centre to assist with Harish’s treatment and living arrangements.
As Harish’s condition continued to deteriorate, his parents returned to the Supreme Court in December 2025, arguing that their son was being kept artificially alive with no chance of recovery.
The court then ordered the formation of two medical boards, as per its 2023 guidelines, to examine Harish’s medical condition since he did not have a living will.
Both medical boards concluded that Harish had a negligible chance of recovery and described his condition as extremely poor.
After reviewing the reports, Justice JB Pardiwala remarked during the hearing that it was a tragic situation and questioned the purpose of keeping Harish alive in such a state.
The judges also met Harish’s parents earlier this week before reserving the matter for a final decision.
Passive euthanasia in India has been legally recognised since 2018, when the Supreme Court ruled that the right to die with dignity is part of the right to life.
However, very few cases have reached the stage of final approval by courts.
If the Supreme Court allows the withdrawal of life support in Harish Rana’s case, it could become the first known court-approved instance of passive euthanasia in the country.
(With inputs from TOI)
