Indian man whose life support was removed after court approval dies

An Indian man whose life support was withdrawn after approval from the country's top court has died, marking a rare case of court-approved passive euthanasia in India.

The deceased, Harish Rana, 31, died yesterday (24 March) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, where he had been receiving palliative care after his life support was removed, reports BBC.

Rana had been in a coma since 2013 after suffering severe head injuries from a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was an engineering student. Before the accident, he had not left a living will specifying his medical wishes in case he lost the ability to make decisions.

His case became significant as it was one of the first instances in which the Supreme Court of India allowed life-sustaining treatment to be withdrawn based on a plea from the patient's parents.

Passive euthanasia, which involves withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment, was legalised in India in 2018 after the Supreme Court allowed individuals to create living wills. However, active euthanasia remains illegal in the country.

Rana's parents had approached the courts after years of caring for their son and said they had exhausted their savings. They also expressed concern about what would happen to him in the future if they were no longer able to provide care.

After multiple legal attempts, the Supreme Court agreed to review the case in 2025 following medical assessments by two separate boards, which concluded that Rana had permanent brain damage and almost no chance of recovery.

On 11 March, the court noted that he was not responding to treatment and asked the medical boards to exercise their clinical judgement. He was later moved to the palliative care unit at AIIMS, where he died.

Following his death, the family's lawyer said the case could set a precedent in India, as many families across the country are facing similar situations.