Passive euthanasia is not the same as assisted suicide, the latter is a criminal offence in India

The Supreme Court Wednesday approved the plea to remove life support of one Harish Rana, 31, who was in a vegetative state since 2013, making it the first case of a court-approved passive euthanasia in India.

Rana, who was an engineering student, had fallen off the fourth floor of a paying guest accommodation in 2013, sustaining irreversible brain injury. He was in comatose since then, having fluctuating sleep-wake cycles. As per his parents, his breathing, nutrition and excretion was all machine-dependent. The grief-stricken parents had knocked on all the houses of justice for assistance but their plea was initially rejected by both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court (SC).

In 2025, Rana’s parents approached the SC again, saying his health had deteriorated. Convinced by the assessment of medical boards who said there was no hope for recovery, the Court agreed on hearing their plea.

While ‘Passive Euthanasia’ has been legalized in the country since 2018, Rana’s case became the first bureaucratic implementation of the directives.

Is passive euthanasia as same as assisted suicide?

The word ‘Euthanasia’ translates to good death, often understood as mercy killing in common terms. Many countries have this provision for terminally ill people in palliative care who have insufferable symptoms, keeping them dependent on life support. However, there is a difference between passive euthanasia and assisted suicide, the latter standing illegal in the country.

Active euthanasia or assisted suicide involves taking specific steps to cause easy death such as injecting a lethal substance into the bloodstream of the terminally sick. In many countries, including India, this amounts to a crime and is strictly prohibited. Some countries are bringing it into practice under strict supervision.

Passive euthanasia, however, stands for removal of life support for continuance of life in cases where a person would be dead without life support. In some cases, passive euthanasia can be voluntary where the terminally ill gives the consent, other times involving multiple designated bodies that decide for the patient.

Legal status in India

In 2018, the SC recognized ‘passive euthanasia’ for the first time and laid down guidelines for the procedure. Later in 2023, it modified the laid directives to ease the process. However, Rana’s case becomes the first instance when those directives have been put into practice. 

The guidelines involve creating a live will for patients who can give consent , attested by an appointed medical board and legal authorities. The patient’s kin can also approach the High Court in case the hospital board denies permission.