🏛️Right to Die with Dignity: Supreme Court Recognizes Withdrawal of Artificial Nutrition in Landmark Passive Euthanasia Judgment
📄Introduction The Supreme Court of India has delivered a historic judgment that significantly advances the jurisprudence on the right to die with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. In a landmark decision, the Court held that Clinically Assisted Nutrition and Hydration (CANH), administered through feeding tubes, constitutes "medical treatment" and may be lawfully withdrawn in appropriate cases under the framework of passive euthanasia. The judgment not only grants relief in a deeply emotional case but also streamlines the implementation of the guidelines laid down in the landmark Common Cause decisions, while urging Parliament to enact comprehensive legislation on end-of-life care. 📚 Brief Facts of the Case The case concerned Harish Rana , a young engineering student who suffered a devastating brain injury after falling from the fourth floor of his residence in 2013. The accident left him in a Permanent Vegetative State (PVS) with 100% permanent disability . For...