India’s first person ever to be granted passive euthanasia in the Supreme Court’s ruling, Harish Rana, took his last breath on Tuesday, March 24, at AIIMS-Delhi. The hospital informed about the death in an official statement at 4:10 PM.
He had been under the care of a dedicated medical team in the Palliative Oncology Unit (IRCH), headed by Dr. (Prof.) Seema Mishra, HoD of Onco-Anaesthesia.
"Harish Rana passed away at 4:10 PM on 24th March 2026 at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was under the care of a dedicated team of doctors and was admitted to the Palliative Oncology Unit (IRCH), led by Dr. (Prof.) Seema Mishra, HoD, Onco-Anaesthesia. AIIMS extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time," the press release said.
Meanwhile, Harish Rana's corneas and heart valves have been donated by his family, AIIMS sources said.
Earlier this month, in a landmark first, the Supreme Court permitted passive euthanasia for a 31-year-old man from Ghaziabad who has been in a persistent vegetative state for over a decade, observing that continuing life-sustaining treatment would no longer be in the patient's best interest.
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Vishwanathan allowed the withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH) for Harish Rana, who has remained in a vegetative state since suffering an accidental fall from a building in 2013.
Passive euthanasia refers to the withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining treatment to allow a patient with no reasonable prospect of recovery to die naturally.
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