Harish Rana, the first person in India to be granted permission for passive euthanasia, passed away on Tuesday at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. He was 31. Rana had been in a coma since 2013. He was shifted from his home in Ghaziabad to the palliative care unit at the hospital on March 14 for specialised treatment and support.
According to hospital officials, he died at around 4:10 pm under the care of a medical team led by Dr Seema Mishra, Head of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine. His case had drawn national attention earlier, as it was among the first instances where passive euthanasia—withdrawal of life support under strict legal guidelines—was permitted in India, following Supreme Court directions.
Doctors said he had been under continuous medical supervision in the palliative care unit, where the focus was on ensuring comfort and dignity in his final days. Rana’s death marks the end of a long and widely discussed medical and legal journey, highlighting ongoing debates around end-of-life care and patients’ rights in India.
