Supreme Court to pronounce judgment on withdrawal of life support to a 31-year-old man
The Hindu
Supreme Court to rule on life support withdrawal for a 31-year-old man, potentially setting precedents for end-of-life decisions.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) is scheduled to pronounce judgment in a plea made by the family of Harish Rana, a 31-year-old man, to withdraw life-sustaining treatment to him.
The judgment by a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan may decisively draw the boundaries for when to allow natural death to take over. The judgment may also be the first time the court practically implements guidelines for withdrawal of life support.
The judgment comes after the Bench had conducted long, measured, and multi-tiered consultations with Mr. Rana’s family, medical boards and counsel appearing for both the family members and the Centre. A team led by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati had visited the Rana residence and submitted an eyewitness report to the Supreme Court.
The Bench had personally met Mr. Rana’s parents and siblings, who said they did not want him to suffer anymore.
The court had also recorded the submission made by Ms. Bhati that primary and secondary boards of doctors who visited Mr. Rana were also of the opinion that medical treatment should be discontinued and “nature should be allowed to take its own course”.
Mr. Rana had sustained severe head injuries and 100% quadriplegic disability after sustaining a fall from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation as a Panjab University student in 2013. He has been bed-ridden for over 13 years now.
Supreme Court to rule on life support withdrawal for a 31-year-old man, potentially setting precedents for end-of-life decisions.
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