Harish Rana, India’s first passive euthanasia patient, dies after 13 years in vegetative state

New Delhi: 31-year-old Harish Rana is the first person to receive this honour passive euthanasia An Indian patient died at AIIMS-Delhi on Tuesday after being in a vegetative state for more than 13 years, PTI reported. Rana has been in a vegetative state since August 2013 after falling from a building in Chandigarh.this Supreme Court On March 11, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed passive euthanasia in Rana’s case, reigniting the debate over the moral and legal distinction between “letting a patient die” and actively ending life.Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan cited Shakespeare’s Hamlet while explaining the right to die. Justice Padivala noted: “Shakespeare’s famous literary quote ‘to be or not to be’ is now being used to judicially interpret the ‘right to die’.”The judges also praised the decision of Rana’s parents, saying: “You did not give up on your son. You allowed him to live with dignity.”The court held that continuation of Clinical Assisted Nutrition (CAN) was not in the best interest of Rana and directed AIIMS to ensure dignified withdrawal of life support system.Passive euthanasia refers to the natural death of a patient by stopping or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment when the patient is terminally ill or has no chance of recovery. This is different from active euthanasia, which involves intentional intervention to cause death and remains illegal in India.In October 2024, the Federal Ministry of Health released draft guidelines on terminating life support for terminally ill patients. The regulations state that such decisions must be based on considered medical opinion and may be made under certain circumstances, including brainstem death, terminal disease that will not benefit from aggressive treatment, informed refusal by the patient or attorney, and compliance with Supreme Court procedures.Although Indian courts have recognized passive euthanasia under strict safeguards and medical supervision, active euthanasia is still prohibited under current law.Also read: How Harish Rana’s case revives memories of Aruna Shanbaug’s long, silent fight for dignity after death