The Supreme Court on Wednesday passed its first-ever order allowing passive euthanasia, in terms of its 2018 Common Cause judgment (as modified in 2023) recognising the fundamental right to die with dignity.
A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice KV Viswanathan allowed the withdrawal of life support for a 32-year-old man, who has remained in an irreversible permanent vegetative state for the past 13 years after falling from a building. The bench passed the order on a miscellaneous application of the father seeking to remove all life-sustaining treatment from his son.
“Harish Rana, presently aged 32 years, was once a young, bright boy. He met with a tragic life-altering…