The process of passive euthanasia has begun for 32-year-old Harish Rana, who has been in a coma since a severe head injury in 2013. The Supreme Court had earlier this month upheld his “right to die,” marking India’s first-ever approval for passive euthanasia.
Harish, an engineering student at the time of his accident, was moved from his Ghaziabad home to the palliative care unit at Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS Delhi, on Saturday. The court allowed the gradual withdrawal of life-support measures, including artificial nutrition, while ensuring adequate pain relief.
Medical experts explain that the process involves several stages:
- Approval from two medical boards confirming the patient suffers from an irreversible medical condition.
- Gradual withholding or withdrawal of nutritional support and other life-sustaining treatments.
- Palliative sedation to ensure the patient is not in distress during the process.
Dr Sushma Bhatnagar, former AIIMS chief, stated that this approach exemplifies palliative care aimed at relieving prolonged suffering when recovery is impossible. The complete process could take two to three weeks, as per hospital sources.
Before his transfer to AIIMS, Harish’s family conducted spiritual rituals at their Ghaziabad home. A video circulating on social media showed Brahma Kumaris offering prayers and chanting meditative words, guiding Harish’s soul to depart peacefully. Sister Lovely of the Mohan Nagar Seva Kendra said, “We prayed for him and told him that whatever was being done was in his best interest, to relieve him of his suffering and set him free.”
This case represents a landmark moment in Indian law, establishing procedures for passive euthanasia while balancing medical, legal, and ethical considerations.