The Supreme Court recently allowed passive euthanasia for Harish Rana, following the precedent set by Aruna Shanbaug's decades-long battle.
The recent Supreme Court decision permitting a 31-year-old man to end his life marks a significant milestone in Indian jurisprudence, yet it rests heavily on the shoulders of a woman who fought for dignity decades earlier. Harish Rana, confined to a bed following a tragic fall, now shares a legal legacy with Aruna Shanbaug, whose own suffering established the groundwork for passive euthanasia. This journey reveals how personal tragedy transformed into constitutional rights regarding death and life support.
Fifty-three years before Rana’s case reached the apex court, a different battle began in Mumbai. In 1973, twenty-five-year-old nurse Aruna Shanbaug faced a horrific assault at King Edward Memorial Hospital by janitor Sohanlal Valmiki. The attack involved choking with a dog chain, resulting in severe brain damage and a vegetative state that would last for forty years. While Valmiki was convicted of attempted murder and robbery, the legal system initially failed to recognize rape due to technicalities regarding the nature of the assault. Medical exams confirmed oxygen deprivation cut off blood supply, leaving her unable to speak or emote despite retaining vision.
In 2009, journalist Pinki Virani filed a plea to end Shanbaug’s suffering, arguing she met criteria for permanent vegetative state. By March 2011, the Supreme Court issued guidelines legalizing passive euthanasia, stipulating that relatives or next friends could decide on life support. However, the court rejected the plea in this specific instance because KEM Hospital staff opposed it. The staff, who had cared for Shanbaug for decades, insisted she should live, arguing their involvement outweighed Virani’s claim as a next friend. Consequently, Shanbaug remained on life support until she died of pneumonia in 2015, with nurses performing her funeral.
The legal landscape shifted further in 2014 when the Supreme Court referred euthanasia questions to a Constitution Bench. Although the Centre opposed it fearing repercussions on doctors’ duties, the bench eventually ruled in 2018 that dying with dignity is a fundamental right. This decision allowed for living wills and formalized procedures for withdrawing artificial support. Now, looking at Harish Rana, who fell from a fourth floor in 2013 leaving him dependent on tubes for respiration and feeding, the court has granted his parents’ plea for passive euthanasia after thirteen years of vegetative state.
The transition from Aruna Shanbaug’s enduring suffering to Harish Rana’s recent ruling illustrates a profound shift in how India views human life and death. While the court prioritized preserving life during Shanbaug’s era due to institutional objections, the 2018 judgment established that sanctity of life does not mandate endless suffering. Today, families like Rana’s can approach the judiciary for relief, ensuring that even in vegetative states, individuals are allowed to cross the threshold of death with dignity rather than prolonged medical intervention.
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