SC allows vegetative man's life support to be withdrawn
India's Supreme Court has, for the first time, allowed life support to be withdrawn from Harish Rana, a 32-year-old who has been in a vegetative state for nearly 13 years.
The March 11 ruling followed medical boards saying continued treatment would not help.
This is the first full use of the court's 2018 guidelines on passive euthanasia.
Court's decision based on expert medical advice
The judges based their decision on expert medical advice and even skipped the usual waiting period because of how urgent Rana's case is.
After life support ends, he will get palliative care at AIIMS Delhi.
What the court said on procedural safeguards
The court relied on medical board findings and procedural safeguards intended to address legal concerns for families and practitioners; questions about formal immunity from criminal prosecution remain.
Passive euthanasia explained
Passive euthanasia means stopping treatment so nature can take its course, not actively ending someone's life.
The court made it clear this is different from illegal active euthanasia, building on earlier legal decisions.
Need for clear laws on withdrawal of life support
Past Supreme Court judgments and commentators have urged Parliament to enact clear laws on withdrawal of life support to provide rules for future cases.