Harish Rana, India's first passive euthanasia patient, dies in AIIMS

NEW DELHI: Delhi native Harish Rana (31), who was in a vegetative state for 13 years, passed away on Tuesday. This is the first-ever passive euthanasia case in India after the Supreme Court allowed the process following the petition from Harish's parents. Following this, Harish was taken off life support and shifted to a regular bed. He breathed his last today.

Harish Rana's parents had filed a petition in the Supreme Court last October seeking euthanasia. Harish, an engineering student at Panjab University, fell from the fourth floor of the paying guest house on August 20, 2013, on Raksha Bandhan day. He suffered serious head injuries and was pushed into a comatose state. Over a decade, Harish survived through life-saving equipment. He was being fed through a tube. In July 2024, the family approached the Delhi High Court, but the request was rejected. The family then moved the petition to the Supreme Court.