Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court on March 11 allowed the withdrawl of life support to Harish Rana, who has been in a vegetative state for the past 13 years after a tragic accident. The 31- year-old Rana, a student of Punjab University, fell off the fourth floor of a paying guest accommodation in 2013 and suffered serious injuries. He was put on life support and has been confined to a bed with a tracheostomy tube for respiration and a gastrojejunostomy tube for feeding.
The apex court has also urged the Centre to consider bringing a law on passive euthanasia, which is allowed in India only after the Supreme Court studies the opinions of two medical boards on the patient’s condition.
The bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice KV Viswanathan said in its order, “‘Gods ask no man if he accepts life, you must take it’. These are the words of (US minister) Henry (Ward Beecher) which hold significance when courts are asked if individuals can choose to die.” Justice Pardiwala quoted the well-known phrase from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “To be or not to be”, and said it was being used to decide the “right to die”.
The withdrawal of life support, the court said, must stand on two grounds: the intervention must qualify as medical treatment, and it must be in the best interests of the patient.
“Harish Rana was once a bright young 20-year-old boy pursuing education at Punjab University when he had a fall from the fourth floor of a building and sustained brain injuries. Harish was discharged, but a brain injury left him in a persistent vegetative state. He experiences a sleep-wake cycle and is dependent on others. The medical report shows no improvement in 13 years,” the court said
