Supreme Court schedules plea for passive euthanasia of man for ‘final order’ on January 15 after judges meet family

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pass a final order on Thursday (January 15, 2026) in a plea for passive euthanasia by means of withdrawing artificial life support to a 31-year-old man. The judges personally met his parents and siblings, who said they did not want him to suffer anymore.

“All the three, i.e., the father, mother and younger brother, in one voice and with a lot of pain in their hearts, made a fervent appeal before us to take necessary steps to ensure that Harish [Rana] does not suffer any more… According to them, if the medical treatment is not making any difference, then there is no point in continuing with such medical treatment and making Harish suffer for no good reason,” a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan recorded in a 12-page order published on Wednesday (January 14, 2026).

The court also recorded the submission made by Additional Solicitor-General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, that primary and secondary boards of doctors who visited Harish Rana were also of the opinion that medical treatment should be discontinued and “nature should be allowed to take its own course”.

“The doctors are of the opinion that Harish would remain in this permanent vegetative state (PVS) for years to come, with the tubes inserted all over his body. However, he would never be able to recover and live a normal life,” the court recounted.

The order stated that the judges had met with the parents and Mr. Harish’s brother for an exhaustive talk about the issue on January 13.

Bedridden for 13 years

Mr. Harish 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 court order reproduced a joint report submitted by Ms. Bhati and the family’s counsel, advocate Rashmi Nandakumar. The report said the legal team had met with the parents and family, once through videoconferencing and the second time at their home in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

They were told that the family had shifted to their present home as their earlier residence in Delhi had limited sunlight, narrow access roads and frequent difficulty in ambulance movement during emergencies. They had explained that the shift was made solely to ensure quicker and safer access to medical care for their son.

“During our conversation, the family spoke to us about who Mr. Harish was before the incident. They told us that as the eldest child, he was extremely energetic, physically active and deeply interested in gymming and playing football. His younger brother recalled growing up playing football and video games with him,” the legal team said in their report.

Mr. Harish’s father, Ashok Rana, narrated to the team the family’s years of long care for their son. He said they had done “everything within their human capacity” during this period.

“He said that their son no longer has a voice of his own, and therefore they feel it is their moral responsibility to speak for him… He said his son cannot speak, hear, see, recognise anyone, or eat on his own; Is entirely dependent on artificial life support, including a feeding tube… He shared his deep worry that both parents are now ageing, and asked, with visible concern, who would take care of Mr. Harish if anything were to happen to either of them,” the report narrated.

The family said though the government had provided them assistance over the years, the practical difficulties of day-to-day medical care and emergency support were getting insurmountable.

The judges recorded that during the meeting the parents were clear that the reports of the medical boards found “no sign, or rather, no hope” for Harish to recover.

Reforming passive euthanasia in India

Mother’s view

Mr. Harish’s mother, Nirmala Rana, in turn, said her son had not responded to touch or affection for the past 13 years. “Upon being specifically asked whether she would feel regret or emotional distress if her son were to pass away, she replied that the greater distress is watching him suffer continuously in his present state, and that she believes the family has done everything possible,” the report said.

The legal team said that during their visit to the residence, they found the parents continuously caring for Harish. “He was in a room on his bed with his eyes open but clearly without any consciousness or awareness… The prolonged suffering and ordeal endured by the family in caring for their young son is nothing short of a penance marked by resilience, patience, and sacrifice,” they said.

The lawyers also interacted with Harish’s siblings. The brother said continued medical intervention was only prolonging his agony. His sister reminisced that at the time of the tragedy, they were children, and now she herself was a mother.

Published – January 14, 2026 07:47 pm IST