Harish Rana, India's First Passive Euthanasia Recipient, Passes Away

Harish Rana's Passing and Its Significance

Harish Rana, who became the first individual in India to receive approval for passive euthanasia from the Supreme Court, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi on Tuesday, as reported by a news outlet.

According to the hospital, Rana's death occurred at 4:10 PM on Tuesday. He had been in a permanent vegetative state since 2013.

On March 11, the Supreme Court permitted the withdrawal of life support for the 31-year-old, following a request from Rana's family. He had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in August 2013 after a fall from the fourth floor of a building in Chandigarh.

This case marked the first application of the court's guidelines on passive euthanasia, established in a 2018 ruling.

Just three days after the court's decision, Rana was transferred from his residence in Ghaziabad to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Also read: From Aruna Shanbaug to Harish Rana, India’s long reckoning with the right to die with dignity

In 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court recognized and sanctioned passive euthanasia, allowing for living wills or advance directives.

The court ruled that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution encompasses the right to live with dignity, which includes facilitating a dignified death for terminally ill patients or those in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery.

Rana's family had petitioned the court for permission to cease life-sustaining treatments, specifically clinically assisted nutrition and hydration provided through a PEG tube.

A Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy tube is a device that is inserted through the abdominal wall directly into the stomach to provide nutrition, fluids, and medication.

On March 11, the court noted that continuing treatment would merely prolong Rana's biological existence without any therapeutic benefit. It also highlighted that both primary and secondary medical boards, along with Rana's parents, agreed that discontinuing clinically assisted nutrition and hydration was in the patient's best interest.

The court stated that with the medical boards certifying the need to withdraw life support, there was no requirement for further court intervention. However, it acknowledged that since this was the first case of its kind, it was prudent to review the situation.

Additionally, the court urged the Union government to formulate comprehensive legislation regarding passive euthanasia.