RIGHT TO DIE WITH DIGNITY: THE SUPREME COURT’S LANDMARK RULING IN HARISH RANA V. UNION OF INDIA

The landmark judgment Harish Rana V. Union of India delivered by a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan. The judgment arose from a Miscellaneous Application filed by the parents of Harish Rana, a young man who had been in a Permanent Vegetative State (PVS) for over 12 years following a severe traumatic brain injury. It built upon the constitutional principles established by the five-judge Constitution Bench in Common Cause v. Union of India (2018) and its modifications in the following year 20233, while expanding the interpretation of Article 21 right to life4 and the procedural framework for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. This commentary examines the factual background, the issues decided, the court’s reasoning, and the significance of the judgment for India.