Harish Rana Euthanasia Case: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday permitted the discontinuation of life-sustaining medical treatment for Harish Rana, a 32-year-old man who has been in a persistent vegetative state for the past 13 years following severe brain injuries caused by a fall.
What Supreme Court Said On Allowing Passive Euthanasia For Ghaziabad Man Harish Rana
The verdict was given by a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan, touching upon several parts of a 2018 Supreme Court judgment that recognised the legality of passive euthanasia.
‘Gods ask no man if he accepts life, you must take it’. These are the words of (US minister) Henry (Ward Beecher), which hold significance when courts are asked if individuals can choose to die.” Justice Pardiwala, while delivering the judgment, quoted from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “To be or not to be”, and said it was being used to decide the “right to die.”
Who Is Harish Rana?
Harish Rana met with an accident on August 20, 2013, on the day of Raksha Bandhan. He was a civil engineering student at Chandigarh University at the time when he fell from the fourth-floor balcony of his paying guest accommodation.
The fall caused severe head injuries, leaving him with 100 per cent disability. Doctors treating him at the time said Harish was unable to open his eyes or move any of his limbs. He never recovered.
Since that day, Harish has remained in a permanent vegetative state.
Over the years, Harish Rana and his family’s world has been limited to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in New Delhi. He survives through a tracheostomy tube that aids breathing and a gastrostomy tube that provides nutrition.
Even after more than a decade, Harish has shown no signs of improvement.
“Harish Rana was once a bright young 20-year-old boy pursuing education at Punjab University when he had a fall from the fourth floor of a building and sustained brain injuries. Harish was discharged but brain injury left him in a persistent vegetative state. He experiences sleep-wake cycle and is dependent on others. The medical report shows no improvement in 13 years,” the bench added.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
