Harish Rana Passes Away After 13 Years In Coma, Marking India’s First Passive Euthanasia Case

Last Updated:March 24, 2026, 17:55 IST

Passive euthanasia involves allowing a patient to die by withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in a controlled and dignified manner.

Harish Rana, the first person in India to receive permission for passive euthanasia, passed away on Tuesday at AIIMS-Delhi after spending more than 13 years in a coma.

The 31-year-old, who had been in a coma since 2013, was moved from his Ghaziabad home to the palliative care unit at Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on March 14.

Three days earlier, the Supreme Court had approved the withdrawal of his life support, marking the first instance of passive euthanasia being implemented in the country.

Rana, a BTech student at Panjab University, had suffered severe head injuries after falling from a fourth-floor balcony in 2013. Since then, he survived solely through clinically administered nutrition and occasional oxygen support.

Passive euthanasia involves allowing a patient to die by withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in a controlled and dignified manner.

Harish’s nutritional support was gradually withdrawn after he was admitted to the hospital, the sources said on Tuesday. He is survived by his parents, Ashok and Nirmala Rana.

Harish’s family had said after the apex court judgment that the withdrawal of artificial life support won’t bring any personal benefit to the family but in the larger public interest, the decision could help others facing similar situations.

His father had said passive euthanasia will restore Harish’s dignity after years of irreversible suffering.

The apex court had directed AIIMS-Delhi to ensure that life support is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained.

A specialised medical team headed by Dr Seema Mishra, professor and head of the department of anaesthesia and palliative medicine, was constituted to implement the process, the first ever in India.

The team comprised doctors from departments of neurosurgery, onco-anaesthesia and palliative medicine, and psychiatry.

The Supreme Court, in its March 11 judgment, allowed passive euthanasia for a person for the first time in the country. Ruling on the long discussed emotive issue, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan asked the Union government to consider bringing comprehensive legislation on passive euthanasia.

The top court noted that Rana survived only through clinically administered nutrition via ‘percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy’ tubes, and medical boards had unanimously concluded that continuation of treatment merely prolonged biological existence without any possibility of recovery.

The order allowing passive euthanasia is in line with the court’s 2018 Common Cause judgment, which was modified in 2023 and recognised the fundamental right to die with dignity.

(With inputs from PTI)

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