NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has initiated the next phase in the passive euthanasia process concerning 31-year-old Harish Rana, who has been in a permanent vegetative state with complete disability for 13 years. A medical panel of four specialists informed the court about Harish’s condition and the minimal likelihood of recovery. The court directed the director of AIIMS Delhi to form a secondary medical board, following the procedure established by the Supreme Court in 2018 and updated in 2023, to review the euthanasia plea filed by Harish’s father, Ashok Rana.
Reviewing the primary medical board’s report from Noida District Hospital, the bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan observed that there is no prospect of improvement. The report described Harish as bedridden with a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a gastrostomy tube for feeding, along with significant bed sores. The doctors concluded that his chances of recovery are negligible and that he has remained in this vegetative state for 13 years. The court stated that under these circumstances, the process should move forward.
As per a report in TOI, the Supreme Court’s guidelines require the formation of a secondary medical board after the primary board approves the withdrawal of artificial life support. This secondary board must include one registered medical practitioner nominated by the district’s chief medical officer and at least two specialists with a minimum of five years’ experience in the relevant field. Although advocate Rashmi Nandakumar, representing the petitioner, argued that a secondary board was unnecessary since the CMO was part of the primary board, the court decided to follow the established procedure.
The court requested the AIIMS director to constitute the secondary board and submit a report by December 17, with the matter scheduled for further hearing on December 18. The bench concluded the hearing by stating, “We will have to do something now. We can’t allow him to live like this. That’s for sure.”
This case marks the first instance where the court will oversee the euthanasia process since the Supreme Court set guidelines allowing passive euthanasia. In 2018, the court legalized passive euthanasia by permitting the withdrawal of life support for terminally ill patients and recognized the “right to die with dignity” as part of the fundamental right to life. The 2023 modification simplified the procedure by establishing a two-tier medical board system and allowed family members to approach the relevant high court if euthanasia is denied.
Harish Rana sustained his injury after falling from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation on August 20, 2013, while studying for a B Tech degree at Punjab University. Despite treatment at multiple hospitals, his condition did not improve. His father initially approached the Delhi High Court, which declined to refer the case to a primary medical board. Challenging this decision, Ashok Rana argued that Harish’s current state violates his fundamental right to dignity and that the high court failed to follow the Supreme Court’s guidelines.
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