The Supreme Court on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) practically applied the principles of passive euthanasia for the first time by permitting the withdrawal of clinically-assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH) to 32-year-old Harish Rana.
A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan said withdrawal of life support must neither be a “single act” nor an “act of abandonment” of patients in persistent vegetative state (PVS).
The court laid down that withdrawal of life support must be in the “best interests” of the patient and guiding factors include whether life support provided to the patient qualify as medical treatment; whether medicines have any therapeutic benefit, but only works to prolong life, pain and suffering for the patient; and whether it would be in the best interest of the patient to artificially prolong life.
The process of withdrawal of CANH must be part of a well-structured, tailored, robust and articulated palliative care plan for a patients in his or her most vu
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