‘Served Him As Much As Destiny Allowed Us’: Father Of 32-Year-Old After SC's Passive Euthanasia Nod

Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 10:43 IST

For the Rana family, the past 13 years have been an exhausting emotional and financial struggle as their son Harish has been in a coma for the past 13 years

“My son was once a topper at Punjab University, but now his condition is incurable and irreversible. We are leaving our child in the lap of God and nature. We will bring his mortal remains home with dignity. The grief is immense, but we have served him as much as destiny allowed us," said Ashok Rana, the father of 31-year-old Harish Rana from Ghaziabad.

The emotional statement came a day after the Supreme Court granted permission for passive euthanasia for Harish, who has been in a coma for the past 13 years and is currently dependent on life support systems. The decision marks a significant legal and ethical milestone in India’s evolving debate on the “right to die with dignity".

A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan allowed the plea filed by Harish’s parents, Ashok and Nirmala Rana, seeking withdrawal of life support for their son. The court directed that Harish be shifted to AIIMS within a week, where doctors will gradually remove all life-support systems while ensuring that the process respects the patient’s dignity.

For Ashok Rana, the judgment brings both relief and heartbreak. “No parent would ever wish for such a decision about their child. But when we realised that our son’s condition was irreversible and incurable, we had no other option. We have been fighting this case for the last three years," he said.

According to the family, Harish was once a brilliant student who had topped at Punjab University while pursuing his B.Tech. His life changed dramatically in 2013 when he fell from the fourth floor of his hostel building during the final semester of his engineering course in Chandigarh.

The accident left him with severe neurological damage and quadriplegia, a condition that paralyses all four limbs and leaves the patient completely dependent on ventilators and feeding tubes. Since then, Harish has remained in a coma, unable to speak, respond or feel.

Over the years, doctors declared his condition irreversible. The AIIMS medical board later confirmed that there was no possibility of recovery. Prolonged immobility also led to severe bedsores and other complications, further worsening his health.

For the Rana family, the past 13 years have been an exhausting emotional and financial struggle. Harish currently lives with his parents, sister and niece in Ghaziabad’s Raj Empire Society.

To care for him, the family hired a nurse at a monthly salary of around Rs 27,000. Physiotherapy costs nearly Rs 14,000 every month, while medicines and other medical requirements amount to another Rs20,000-Rs25,000. Altogether, the family spends nearly Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 every month on his treatment.

“We even sold our property to continue his treatment. But the financial burden kept growing. More than the money, it became unbearable to see our son suffer like this," Ashok Rana said.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court emphasised that the decision should not be interpreted as “active euthanasia". Active euthanasia involves deliberately administering a lethal injection to end a person’s life and remains illegal in India.

In contrast, passive euthanasia involves withdrawing medical treatment or life-support systems that artificially keep a patient alive, allowing death to occur naturally due to the underlying illness.

The court directed that Harish’s life-support systems be withdrawn in a phased and medically supervised manner so that the process remains humane and dignified.

In its judgment, the bench also directed Chief Medical Officers across the country to establish disciplinary or review units in every district to deal with similar cases in the future. These units would be responsible for forming medical boards to examine the condition of patients seeking passive euthanasia and submit periodic reports to the concerned authorities.

Advocate Manish Jain, who represented the Rana family in the Supreme Court, said the court had allowed Harish to remain in a “natural state". “All advanced life support systems will be removed in phases at AIIMS. The hospital will continue to provide appropriate care until the natural course of life ends," he said.

The judgment also urged the Union government to consider framing a comprehensive law on passive euthanasia. Currently, such decisions are governed by Supreme Court guidelines rather than a specific statute.

The legal foundation for passive euthanasia in India was laid in 2018 when the Supreme Court, in the landmark Common Cause case, recognised the “right to die with dignity" as part of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.

The court had also recognised the concept of a “living will", allowing individuals to state in advance that life-support treatment should be withdrawn if they enter an irreversible medical condition.

In Wednesday’s ruling, Justice Pardiwala reflected on the philosophical and moral dimensions of the issue, quoting American preacher Henry Ward Beecher and referring to William Shakespeare’s famous line “To be or not to be". He observed that courts are sometimes required to confront profound questions about life, suffering and dignity while deciding such cases.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has extended financial assistance to the family. Acting on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravindra Kumar visited the Rana family and handed over a cheque of Rs 2.5 lakh.

Officials also said the family would receive further assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The district administration is exploring the possibility of allotting a shop to Ashok Rana to help the family establish a stable livelihood.

For the Ranas, however, the legal victory remains bittersweet. After years of struggle, they now await the final chapter of a story that began with a promising young engineer and ended with a painful choice between hope and dignity.

News cities ghaziabad ‘Served Him As Much As Destiny Allowed Us’: Father Of 32-Year-Old After SC's Passive Euthanasia Nod

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