In a historic first, India's Supreme Court granted permission for passive euthanasia for a 31-year-old man who has been in a permanent vegetative state for over a decade. The ruling was delivered by justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan, who agreed that withdrawing life-sustaining support would best serve the patient's dignity and interests.
The court permitted the withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration for Harish Rana at AIIMS Delhi's palliative care unit. It clarified that the guiding principle is not whether the patient should die, but whether medical intervention should continue when recovery is medically impossible.
The court also urged the Indian government to enact legislation on passive euthanasia to fill the existing legal vacuum and provide guidelines for similar cases in the future. #India #SupremeCourt #PassiveEuthanasia #MedicalLaw #PatientRights
