After 13 Years Of Hope And Heartbreak, Family Prepares For Harish Rana’s Passive Euthanasia At AIIMS Delhi
A team of five to six doctors constituted by AIIMS New Delhi will oversee the entire process, which will be conducted with strict confidentiality.
Published : March 15, 2026 at 1:56 PM IST
By Rahul Chauhan
New Delhi: After 13 years of enduring hope and heartbreak, Ashok Rana faces the unimaginable pain as he prepares to bid farewell to his son, Harish Rana. Comatose since a devastating fall in college, 32-year-old Harish was admitted to AIIMS New Delhi on Saturday to undergo passive euthanasia, following the Supreme Court’s first judgment of its kind.
As doctors prepare to withdraw life support gently, the family clings to the hope that Harish’s final journey may be peaceful, and the gift of life to others through organ donation is possible.
The family’s lawyer, Manish Jain, said that Harish, who has been in a vegetative state for 13 years with virtually no chance of recovery, was admitted to AIIMS New Delhi yesterday at 5:00 pm to undergo the procedure for passive euthanasia.
"A team of five to six doctors constituted by AIIMS New Delhi will oversee the entire process. The entire procedure will be conducted with strict confidentiality, as there is no requirement to disclose details regarding it to anyone,” Jain said.
The doctors have not provided extensive details regarding this process, noting that it falls within their professional domain, and they will proceed with their duties accordingly.
Under passive euthanasia, a patient is allowed to die naturally by withdrawing medical treatment or life-support needed to keep them alive.
In Harish’s case, the tubes currently inserted to provide him a liquid diet and to facilitate waste elimination will be removed, thereby restoring him to a natural physiological state. Thereafter, he will remain alive for whatever duration his body sustains itself.
“Upon his passing, his mortal remains will be handed over to his family. As Harish’s family has expressed a desire to donate his organs, the medical team will first conduct a thorough examination of all his organs to determine which ones are viable for donation,” the lawyer said, adding that subsequent procedures will commence thereafter.
In 2013, Harish suffered a fall from the fourth floor of a PG accommodation while studying in Chandigarh. The incident resulted in severe traumatic brain injuries. Since then, he has remained in a comatose state, with his father, Ashok Rana, and his mother dedicatedly nursing him at his bedside.
However, after seeing no improvement in his condition, his father filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking Harish’s voluntary euthanasia, in response to which the apex court granted permission for passive euthanasia.
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