SC Allows Permits Passive Euthanasia For 32-Year-Old: How Aruna Shanbaug Case Paved The Way

Last Updated:March 11, 2026, 11:36 IST

What is passive euthanasia? When is it allowed? Aruna Shanbaug case, the landmark legal battle that first opened the door for passive euthanasia in India, explained

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed passive euthanasia for a 31-year-old man who has been in a comatose condition for more than 12 years, by withdrawing his artificial life support.

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.

What is the Harish Rana case?

Harish Rana suffered head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of a building in 2013 and has been in a coma for over a decade. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan directed AIIMS to grant admission in palliative care to Rana so that the medical treatment can be withdrawn. It must be ensured that it is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained, the bench said.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 top court earlier expressed its desire to meet the parents of the 31-year-old man. It had perused a report containing 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, after examining the patient’s condition, had stressed the negligible chance of his recovery. The top court had, on December 11, noted that according to the report of the primary medical board, the man is in a “pathetic condition".

What is passive euthanasia?

Passive euthanasia is the act of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining medical treatment such as ventilators, feeding tubes, or antibiotics to allow a terminally ill patient or someone in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) to die naturally. Unlike active euthanasia, which involves a direct act like a lethal injection, passive euthanasia is an “omission" of treatment when recovery is impossible.

Is passive euthanasia legal in India?

Passive euthanasia has been recognised by the Supreme Court through two landmark judgments:

Aruna Shanbaug Case (2011): The Supreme Court first recognised the legality of passive euthanasia in rare circumstances. Although the court rejected the specific plea for Aruna Shanbaug (a nurse in a PVS for 37 years) because her caregivers opposed it, it established the broad principle that life support could be withdrawn under judicial supervision.

Common Cause v. Union of India (2018): A five-judge bench formally legalized passive euthanasia, declaring the “Right to Die with Dignity" a fundamental right under Article 21 (Right to Life). This ruling also introduced Living Wills (Advance Medical Directives), allowing individuals to document their end-of-life wishes in advance.

What is the current framework for passive euthanasia?

The Supreme Court simplified these guidelines in 2023 to make them more practical for families. On March 11, 2026, the Supreme Court granted the first specific permission under this framework in the Harish Rana case, allowing the withdrawal of life support for a man who had been in a vegetative state for 13 years.

Key requirements for passive euthanasia in India include:

Medical Boards: A primary medical board at the hospital and a secondary board (often district-level) must both certify that the patient has no hope of recovery.

Attestation: A Living Will can now be attested by a notary or gazetted officer, rather than a judicial magistrate.

Next Friend: If a patient cannot consent, a “next friend" (close relative or legal guardian) can initiate the process, subject to medical and judicial notification.

What was the Aruna Shanbaug case that opened the door for passive euthanasia?

The Aruna Shanbaug case is the landmark legal battle that first opened the door for passive euthanasia in India. It centered on Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse at Mumbai’s KEM Hospital, who spent 42 years in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) following a brutal sexual assault in 1973.

On November 27, 1973, a hospital janitor attacked Aruna, strangling her with a metal dog chain. The strangulation cut off oxygen to her brain, causing irreversible brain damage and leaving her paralyzed, blind, and deaf.

For nearly four decades, the nursing staff at KEM Hospital provided exceptional care, feeding her through a tube and ensuring she never developed a single bedsore.

Aruna Shanbaug: The legal battle

Journalist Pinki Virani filed a petition as Aruna’s “next friend," arguing that keeping her alive in such a state violated her Right to Die with Dignity under Article 21. She requested the court to direct the hospital to stop feeding her.

The Supreme Court dismissed the specific plea to end Aruna’s life. It ruled that the hospital staff, who had cared for her for decades, were her true “next of kin," and since they opposed the petition, her life support would not be withdrawn.

While the court rejected the plea for Aruna personally, the judgment (Aruna Ramchandra Shanbaug v. Union of India) had historic consequences for the country:

• It legally distinguished between active euthanasia (illegal) and passive euthanasia (allowed under strict guidelines) for the first time in Indian history.
• The court laid down a framework where passive euthanasia could be permitted in “rarest of rare" cases, provided it was approved by a High Court and a team of medical experts.

Aruna Shanbaug eventually died of natural causes (pneumonia) on May 18, 2015, at the age of 66, still under the care of KEM Hospital.

With PTI inputs

News explainers SC Allows Permits Passive Euthanasia For 32-Year-Old: How Aruna Shanbaug Case Paved The Way

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