The 31-year-old was in a permanent vegetative state since 2013 following a severe head injury. He was granted passive euthanasia permission by the Supreme Court on March 11.
File photo of Harish Rana, the Ghaziabad resident who has remained in a vegetative state since 2013. The Supreme Court has now allowed passive euthanasia under medical supervision. | IANS
After 13 years of silence and suffering, Harish Rana’s long journey has come to an end on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
A resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Rana, who became the first Indian granted permission for passive euthanasia, breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, where he was shifted for the process of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.
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The 31-year-old was in a permanent vegetative state since 2013 following a severe head injury.
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He was shifted to the palliative care unit of the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at AIIMS on March 14 for the withdrawal of life support.
Earlier on March 11, the Supreme Court allowed passive euthanasia for Rana, permitting the withdrawal of life support under strict supervision of a medical board.
The court had ruled that the medical board could exercise its clinical judgment in line with the principles laid down in the landmark 2018 judgment, which recognised the legality of passive euthanasia and living wills.
Rana had been suffering from 100 per cent disability, quadriplegia, and required continuous assistance for breathing and feeding through medical tubes.
Noting the above facts, the court directed that he be admitted to AIIMS Delhi for end-of-life care.
An expert panel had assessed that his condition was irreversible, with negligible chances of recovery. He was dependent on a tracheostomy tube for respiration and a gastrostomy tube for nutrition.
Rana’s family had earlier moved the Delhi High Court seeking permission for passive euthanasia. The High Court rejected the plea and directed Rana’s family to move to the Supreme Court.
Initially, the Supreme Court had suggested home-based medical care, with the central government offering nursing support, physiotherapy, and free medicines.
However, his condition didn’t improve, and the family again approached the court, citing lack of improvement despite prolonged treatment.
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