The Supreme Court has permitted the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical support for a 31-year-old man from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, who has been in a coma for the past 13 years following a severe brain injury.
Harish Rana, a former student of Panjab University, suffered critical head injuries in 2013 after falling from the fourth floor of a paying guest accommodation where he was staying. Though he survived, the accident left him in a permanent vegetative state.
Since then, he has been kept alive through medical support, including a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a gastrojejunostomy tube for feeding.
His parents approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to withdraw the life-support systems. A bench comprising Justices J. B. Pardiwala and K. V. Viswanathan allowed the request, noting that medical reports confirmed there had been no improvement in his condition for over 13 years.
The court observed that withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment can be permitted when it is considered medical treatment and when it serves the patient’s best interests.
The bench also urged the Union government to consider framing a law on euthanasia after obtaining the views of medical experts in such cases.
