For 13 years, life has stood still for Harish Rana. The Delhi resident has remained in a permanent vegetative state since a devastating fall in 2013, dependent on medical tubes for breathing and nutrition. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of India is set to decide whether Rana’s life-support treatment can be withdrawn – a ruling that could determine if he is allowed the right to die with dignity.
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Rana’s parents, torn between hope and despair after years at his bedside, have approached the court seeking permission for passive euthanasia. The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan had reserved its verdict on January 15, 2026, after examining medical reports that said his chances of recovery were negligible. The judgment is scheduled to be delivered today.
If the court allows the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, Rana’s case could become the first known instance of court-approved passive euthanasia in India since the right to die with dignity was formally recognised by the Supreme Court in 2018.
WHAT HAPPENED TO HARISH RANA
The tragedy dates back to August 20, 2013, on the festival of Rakhi. Rana, then a civil engineering student at Chandigarh University, fell from the fourth-floor balcony of his paying guest accommodation, suffering severe head injuries that left him with 100% disability.
Doctors said he was unable to open his eyes or move his limbs after the accident. Since then, he has remained in a permanent vegetative state and has been under long-term treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.
The prolonged medical care has taken a heavy toll on the family. Rana’s parents, who have two other children, sold their home in Delhi’s Mahavir Enclave and moved to Ghaziabad to cope with the mounting costs while remaining close to his hospital care.
THE LONG LEGAL BATTLE
As hope of recovery faded, the family approached the Delhi High Court in July 2024 seeking passive euthanasia — the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in cases of irreversible medical conditions. The court rejected the plea, noting that Rana was not dependent on a mechanical ventilator and was able to sustain himself with the help of a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a gastrostomy tube for nutrition.
The parents then moved the Supreme Court of India in November 2024. The bench led by then Chief Justice DY Chandrachud also declined permission, observing that Rana was not completely dependent on life-support machines. However, the court asked the government to explore support arrangements for his treatment and accommodation.
In December 2025, the family approached the Supreme Court again, arguing that Rana’s condition had further deteriorated and that he was being kept “artificially alive” despite having virtually no chance of recovery.
MEDICAL BOARDS AND FINAL HEARING
Following guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in 2023 for passive euthanasia cases, a bench of Justices J. B. Pardiwala and K. V. Viswanathan ordered the formation of primary and secondary medical boards to evaluate Rana’s condition, since he had not left a living will.
Both boards reportedly concluded that the chances of recovery were negligible and described his condition as extremely grave. During a hearing, Justice Pardiwala observed that the report was “very sad” and noted the difficulty of keeping a patient in such a state indefinitely. The bench also met Rana’s parents before reserving the matter for judgment earlier this year.
WHY THE CASE MATTERS
The case has once again brought the debate over euthanasia into the spotlight in India. Passive euthanasia, allowing death by withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, was first recognised by the Supreme Court in the Aruna Shanbaug case, involving a Mumbai nurse who remained in a vegetative state for decades after a brutal assault.
In 2018, the court further clarified the law in the Common Cause vs Union of India, declaring that the right to die with dignity is a part of the fundamental right to life under the Constitution.
As the Supreme Court prepares to deliver its verdict, Rana’s case could become a defining moment in India’s evolving legal and ethical debate over mercy killing and end-of-life care.
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Published By:
Priyanka Kumari
Published On:
Mar 11, 2026 09:21 IST
