♦ The Supreme Court on 11 March 2026 permitted the withdrawal of life support for a 32-year-old man who has remained in a vegetative state for the past 13 years. With this, the principles of passive euthanasia have been practically applied by the apex court for the first time.

♦ The patient, Harish Rana, suffered severe head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of an apartment building in Chandigarh in August 2013. Since the accident, he has been on life support.

♦ A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan directed that “the medical treatment, including Clinically Assisted Nutrition (CAN) being administered to the applicant, shall be withdrawn/withheld,” while stressing that the process “must be carried out in a humane manner.”

♦ The bench noted that there is no comprehensive legislation addressing end-of-life care in the country and urged the Centre to enact a law in this regard.