Before the Harish Rana passive euthanasia case came to light, it was the Aruna Shanbaug case that had gripped the nation. The former nurse had remained in a vegetative state since a brutal sexual assault in 1973. It was only due to her case that the legality of passive euthanasia in rare cases was recognized.
In 2011, the Supreme Court recognized passive euthanasia, and in 2018, while hearing Common Cause v. Union of India, the court detailed guidelines for a living will, allowing terminally-ill patients to withdraw treatment.
Passive euthanasia vs active euthanasia
While active euthanasia means deliberately injecting a life-ending agent into someone’s body, passive euthanasia means withdrawing or withholding life‑support treatments – such as ventilators, dialysis, or artificial nutrition.
By administering passive euthanasia, the authorities let the underlying illness of a person run its natural course and hence, enabling a natural death, according to Live Law.
In India, passive euthanasia was recognized by the Supreme Court in 2018 as a fundamental right under Article 21.
Who was Aruna Shanbaug?
Aruna Shanbaug was a nurse at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital who spent as many as 42 years in a vegetative state after a sexual assault.
On the night of the incident – ​​27 November 1973 – Aruna Shanbaug was about to end her shift when she reportedly had a rift with one Sohanlal Valmiki.
In his testimony, Sohanlal Valmiki admitted to slapping Shanbaug and leaving. However, the nurse was discovered the next day severely injured, with blood covering her face and a dog chain around her neck.
She survived the assault, but spent the next four decades in a vegetative state.
Her euthanasia plea
The Supreme Court rejected a plea by Shanbaug’s family to end her life, and she died from pneumonia in 2015, aged 66.
But it did issue a landmark opinion recognizing passive euthanasia under strict safeguards and with judicial approval.
The move relied on earlier judgments that recognized the constitutional right to die with dignity, and served as a prelude to the expanded 2018 ruling on passive euthanasia.
Harish Rana euthanasia case: The first ever
In its first-ever order following recognizing passive euthanasia, the Supreme Court on Wednesday, 11 March, permitted the withdrawal of artificial life support to a 32-year-old man, Harish Rana.
Harish Rana has been in a coma for over 12 years. While issuing its order, the court also directed AIIMS-Delhi to ensure that life support is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained.
Harish Rana, who was a student at Panjab University, fell from the fourth floor of his PG accommodation and suffered head injuries. This happened in 2013, and he has been in a coma since.
