Who is Harish Rana? In coma for 12 years, man gets passive euthanasia nod from Supreme Court

THe sublime margaret court of bharat on midweek pronounced a historical verdict as it allowed passive euthanasia for a 31-year-old man who has been comatose for over a decade now.Thirty one-year-old Harish Rana has been in a complete vegetative state since 2013 after he fell from the fourth floor of a building and suffered grave head injuries. He has been bed-ridden and on artificial life support.The top court directed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi to ensure that life support is withdrawn with a tailored plan in order to maintain dignity.“The withdrawal has to be carried out in a humane and sensitive manner. It cannot be an abandonment of a patient, but it has to be done in a structured manner that minimises pain and ensures dignity," the bench, comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan, said, according to an earlier HT report.Who is Harish Rana and what caused him to be in vegetative state?Harish, a resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, studied at Punjab University in 2013 and lived in a paying guest accommodation. Harish fell from the fourth floor of his PG that year and this accident caused him serious injuries on the head following which he went into coma and has been in a vegetative state since then.Also read: MBA student dies after jumping from 13th floor of Greater Noida high-rise: PoliceHe depends on feeding tubes for nutrition and hydration. Although he is not on mechanical ventilation, he requires round-the-clock care and has shown no neurological improvement for over 10 years.Harish's parents approached the court after years of treatment and therapy as they sought permission to withdraw life-sustaining treatment, contending that continued medical intervention served no therapeutic purpose and merely prolonged suffering.Supreme Court's verdict on passive euthanasiaThe primary medical board that examined Harish's condition had noted that there was negligible chance of his recovery. The court in December 2025 had cited medical board's assessment and said that the man is in a "pathetic condition".Also read: Latest episode in US-Iran war: A rescue at Strait of Hormuz that never happenedThe court also interacted with Harish's family before delivering its verdict and court noted the anguish expressed by his parents and younger brother, who had unanimously urged that he should not be made to suffer further if medical treatment could not improve his condition.“What they tried to convey, in their own way, was that the medical treatment imparted over a period of almost two years be discontinued and nature be allowed to take its own course,” the court said, PTI reported."According to them, if the medical treatment is not making any difference, there is no point in continuing with such treatment and making Harish suffer for no good reason. They believe that Harish is suffering like anything, and he should be relieved of all further pain and suffering," the bench had noted in its order.