&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "A decade-long coma ends: India’s first passive euthanasia patient, Harish Rana, dies in AIIMS Delhi")
Harish Rana, the first individual in India to receive legal approval for passive euthanasia, passed away on Tuesday (March 24) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). His death closes a landmark chapter in the country’s medico-legal landscape. The 31-year-old had been in a coma since 2013 after suffering severe head injuries in a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a BTech student at Panjab University. For over a decade, he remained on artificial nutrition and intermittent oxygen support.
Also Read: No SC status after conversion to religion other than Hinduism, Buddhism or Sikhism: Supreme Court
What were the protocols at AIIMS Delhi?
On March 11, 2026, the Supreme Court of India allowed passive euthanasia in Rana’s case, directing doctors to withdraw life support through a carefully planned process that ensured dignity. Rana was shifted from his Ghaziabad home to the palliative care unit at AIIMS’ Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital on March 14.
A multidisciplinary team led by Dr Seema Mishra, head of anesthesia and palliative medicine, was tasked with implementing the process, considered the first of its kind in India. The team included specialists from neurosurgery, onco-anesthesia, palliative medicine and psychiatry, reflecting the complexity and sensitivity of the procedure.
Following established medical protocols, Rana’s artificial nutritional support was gradually withdrawn under close supervision, in line with the Supreme Court’s directive. His case is being seen as a milestone in India’s evolving approach to end-of-life care, with a focus on dignity, medical ethics and legal safeguards.
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Who is Harish Rana and what is the case?
Harish Rana was a student at Panjab University when a tragic accident in 2013 changed his life. He fell from the fourth floor of a paying guest accommodation, suffering critical injuries that led to severe brain damage and long-term dependence on medical support.
Following the incident, Rana was placed on life-sustaining systems. He needed a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a gastrojejunostomy tube to receive nutrition. For the next 13 years, he remained bedridden, relying entirely on caregivers for his daily needs. Throughout this period, doctors observed no significant or meaningful recovery in his condition.
