In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India has authorised passive euthanasia for a man in a prolonged coma, raising important questions about end-of-life care and patient rights.
Key Points
- In first such order, the SC has permitted passive euthanasia for a 32-year-old man who has been in a coma for over 12 years.
- The court directed AIIMS to admit the patient for palliative care and ensure the withdrawal of life support is conducted with dignity and a tailored plan.
- Medical boards assessed the patient's condition, concluding there was a negligible chance of recovery after being in a vegetative state for over a decade.
- The decision aligns with the Supreme Court's 2023 guidelines on passive euthanasia, requiring expert medical opinions before withdrawing life support.
In its first-ever order allowing passive euthanasia, the Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the withdrawal of artificial life support of a 32-year-old man who has been in a comatose condition for more than 12 years.
Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life support or the treatment necessary to keep him alive.
Ghaziabad native Harish Rana, who was a student of Panjab University, suffered head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in 2013 and has been in a coma for over a decade.
Court Directs AIIMS for Palliative Care
On Wednesday, a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan directed All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Delhi to grant admission in palliative care to Rana so that the medical treatment can be withdrawn.
It must be ensured that it is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained, the bench said.
The order allowing passive euthanasia is in terms of its 2018 Common Cause judgment, which was modified in 2023, recognising the fundamental right to die with dignity.
In the 2018 judgement, a constitution bench had recognised passive euthanasia and the right to die with dignity as a fundamental right under Article 21.
The court had held that passive euthanasia could be carried out using 'Advance Medical Directives'.
Guidelines for Passive Euthanasia
On January 24, 2023, a five-judge Constitution Bench modified the 2018 Euthanasia Guidelines to ease the process of granting passive euthanasia to terminally ill patients.
Hearing the writ petition of Rana's family, the top court had earlier expressed its desire to meet the parents of the 32-year-old man.
It had perused a report on Rana's medical history filed by a secondary medical board of doctors from the AIIMS-Delhi and remarked that it was a 'sad' report.
The primary medical board, upon examining the patient's condition, had stressed the negligible chance of his recovery.
The top court, on December 11, noted that according to the report of the primary medical board, the man is in a 'pathetic condition'.
According to the guidelines issued by the apex court in 2023, a primary and a secondary medical board will have to be formed for an expert opinion on the withdrawal of artificial life support for a patient in a vegetative state.
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