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Harish Rana, first in country to get passive euthanasia nod, dies

Harish, 31, had been in a coma since 2013, when he fell from a fourth-floor balcony in Chandigarh while he was aBTech student. For years, he remained in a permanent vegetative state, sustained by artificial nutrition through a feeding tube and, at times, oxygen support.

Written by: Vidheesha Kuntamalla, Ankita Upadhyay

5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 25, 2026 04:29 AM IST

The decision came on a plea by Harish Rana’s family, seeking permission to withdraw his medical facilities in terms of the SC’s 2018 five-judge Bench ruling recognising the legality of "passive euthanasia" for terminally-ill patients. (Source: Express Photo)

Harish Rana, the first person in India to be granted permission for passive euthanasia by the Supreme Court, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi Tuesday.

“Mr Harish Rana passed away at 4.10 pm on 24th March 2026 at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was under the care of a dedicated team of doctors and was admitted to the Palliative Oncology Unit (IRCH) led by Dr (Prof) Seema Mishra, HoD, Onco-Anaesthesia. AIIMS extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the media cell of AIIMS said in an official statement.

Harish, 31, had been in a coma since 2013, when he fell from a fourth-floor balcony in Chandigarh while he was aBTech student. For years, he remained in a permanent vegetative state, sustained by artificial nutrition through a feeding tube and, at times, oxygen support.

He was moved from his home in Ghaziabad to the palliative care unit at Dr B R Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at AIIMS on March 14. Three days earlier, on March 11, the Supreme Court had allowed the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in his case.

Sources close to the Rana family told The Indian Express that the cremation will be held on Wednesday.

For more than a decade, the Rana family’s days revolved around a single room in their home. There, Harish lay still, the only signs of life an occasional cough and the slow rise and fall of his chest. His care was constant and exacting: feeding through a gastrostomy tube four times a day, dressing bedsores, physiotherapy sessions, and carefully turning his body to prevent further injury.

“It’s not 13 days or months… it’s been 13 years that we have done this,” Ashok Rana, his father, told The Indian Express earlier this month.

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“Their (the Rana family) struggle has been both full of gratitude and deep care… they always believed something good would happen, that God would do good… they did everything for Harish, from hospital visits to day-to-day care. They managed everything with full dedication and did everything for their son wholeheartedly,” Advocate Manish Jain, who represented the family in the Supreme Court, told The Indian Express on Tuesday.

“They never presented themselves as poor or helpless in front of anyone. They never said ‘we are poor’ or sought sympathy; they were very clear that their duty was to serve their child. They never accepted any donations or contributions,” he said.

On the Supreme Court’s decision, Jain said: “This case will remain a precedent in the future… There are many such patients across the country.”

In the early years after the accident, the family moved Harish across hospitals in Delhi, searching for treatment and hope. Later, at home, his mother, Nirmala, became a near-constant presence by his bedside, monitoring his condition through the day.

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The years took a financial toll. The family spent lakhs on medical care and equipment. After retiring from a catering firm, Ashok began selling sandwiches and burgers at a local cricket ground on weekends to help sustain the household.

The Supreme Court’s order in Harish’s case marked the first time it permitted the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment for a patient in a permanent vegetative state.

The judgment built on the court’s 2018 ruling in Common Cause v. Union of India, which had recognised passive euthanasia and laid down guidelines for withdrawing life support. In Harish’s case, the court expanded those principles, extending them to patients receiving care at home, easing procedural requirements, and reducing the need for court intervention.

Crucially, the court drew a clear distinction between passive and active euthanasia.

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Active euthanasia, the administration of a lethal injection, remains illegal in India. Passive euthanasia, by contrast, involves withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, allowing death to occur naturally, accompanied by palliative care.

In Harish’s case, this meant the withdrawal of nutrition provided through a PEG tube, with continued comfort care as his body declined.

Before the accident, Harish was a civil engineering student who loved football, video games and weightlifting competitions. After it, his world narrowed to a bed. For years, legal arguments unfolded alongside this daily reality.

In 2024, the Delhi High Court rejected the family’s plea to withdraw medical support. Later, the Supreme Court initially declined relief but allowed the family to return if circumstances warranted. They did.

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“We approached the court once we recognised that our son’s condition was irreversible and incurable,” Ashok said after the verdict. “We are grateful for the humane directions laid down by the Supreme Court.”

After the judgment, Harish was moved to AIIMS, where, under medical supervision, life-sustaining support was withdrawn, and palliative care continued.

On Tuesday, that process came to an end.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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