SC to pronounce verdict in family’s plea to withdraw life support to man in ‘permanent vegetative’ state

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce a judgment on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) in a petition made by the family of 31-year-old Harish Rana to withdraw life-sustaining treatment to him.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan is scheduled to deliver the verdict on the case, which was reserved for final decision on February 15 this year.

The hearings in the case had witnessed debates about hospitals having a permanent medical board of doctors assigned to undertake the requisite medical examinations in cases in which family members came forward with a wish to withdraw life support.

The judgment will be delivered after the Bench had conducted long, measured and multi-tiered consultations with Harish Rana’s family, medical boards and counsel appearing for both the family members and the Centre. A team led by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati had visited Rana’s residence and submitted an eyewitness report to the Supreme Court.

The Bench had personally met Mr. Rana’s parents and siblings, who said they did not want him to suffer anymore.

The court had also recorded the submission made by Ms. Bhati that primary and secondary boards of doctors who visited Mr. Rana were also of the opinion that medical treatment should be discontinued and “nature should be allowed to take its own course”.

Mr. Rana had sustained severe head injuries and 100% quadriplegic disability after sustaining a fall from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation as a Panjab University student in 2013. He has been bedridden for over 13 years now.

“The doctors are of the opinion that Harish would remain in this permanent vegetative state (PVS) for years to come… He would never be able to recover and live a normal life,” the top court had recounted in the January 15 order.