New Delhi, March 24 (PTI): Harish Rana, the first individual in India to be granted passive euthanasia, passed away on Tuesday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences after spending over 13 years in a coma.
The 31-year-old had been in a vegetative state since 2013 following a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a BTech student at Panjab University, which resulted in severe head injuries. Since then, he had been dependent on artificial nutrition and intermittent oxygen support.
In a landmark ruling on March 11, the Supreme Court of India permitted passive euthanasia in his case. Following the judgment, Rana was shifted from his Ghaziabad residence to the palliative care unit at Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, part of AIIMS-Delhi, on March 14.
A specialised medical team was formed to oversee the process, ensuring that life support withdrawal was carried out in a dignified and carefully managed manner, in line with the court’s directives. The team was led by Dr Seema Mishra, head of the Department of Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, and included experts from neurosurgery, onco-anaesthesia, palliative care, and psychiatry.
After his admission, Rana’s nutritional support was gradually withdrawn as part of the end-of-life care plan. His case marks a significant moment in India’s legal and medical landscape concerning passive euthanasia.
