SC allows withdrawal of life support system in Harish Rana passive euthanasia case

New Delhi: Supreme Court Harish Rana, 31, was allowed to cancel treatment on Wednesday in the country’s first case of passive euthanasia. The Supreme Court directed the AIIMS in Delhi to admit Rana and provide all necessary facilities for carrying out withdrawal of life support system.Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan delivered the momentous verdict.Rana has been in a vegetative state, 100 percent disabled, a quadriplegic, and requires constant medical assistance for breathing, eating, and daily care.The Supreme Court held that an individual may choose to die when prolongation of life through artificial life support is degrading to his dignity and there is no hope of recovery.

Last year, the same Supreme Court justice expressed a desire to meet the parents of the sick man. The bench examined the report submitted by the secondary medical committee of AIIMS Delhi on Rana’s medical history and described it as a “sad” report.The primary medical committee, after assessing Rana’s condition, said the chances of recovery were slim.On December 11, the court noted that according to the primary medical committee’s report, the patient’s condition was “tragic”.According to the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in 2023, primary and secondary medical committees must be constituted to provide expert opinions on withdrawal of artificial life support in vegetative state.