{"id":902061,"date":"2026-03-24T12:59:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T12:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/?p=902061"},"modified":"2026-03-24T12:59:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T12:59:23","slug":"%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%b8%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a8-%e0%a4%ae%e0%a5%81%e0%a4%96-%e0%a4%86-between-two-hospitals-a-reflection-on-dignified-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%b8%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a8-%e0%a4%ae%e0%a5%81%e0%a4%96-%e0%a4%86-between-two-hospitals-a-reflection-on-dignified-death\/","title":{"rendered":"\u092a\u094d\u0930\u0938\u0928\u094d\u0928 \u092e\u0941\u0916 \u0906: Between two hospitals, a reflection on dignified death"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the routine commutes between my home and hospital, I often find amusement by the stray wisdom and wit painted on fleeting vehicles. My journeys are rarely silent, mostly overwhelmed by honks and buzzes. But occasionally, a moment stills the noise.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the 16th of March, I noticed an auto with words that lingered long after the auto has passed:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe mrityu, taiyar yadi tu aane ko, prasanna mukh aa\u2026
\nDwar khula hai, tera swagat\u2026 prasanna mukh aa.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

[\u0939\u0947 \u092e\u0943\u0924\u094d\u092f\u0941, \u0924\u0948\u092f\u093e\u0930 \u092f\u0926\u093f \u0924\u0942 \u0906\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u094b, \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0938\u0928\u094d\u0928 \u092e\u0941\u0916 \u0906 | \u0926\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0930 \u0916\u0941\u0932\u093e \u0939\u0948, \u0924\u0947\u0930\u093e \u0938\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0917\u0924\u2026 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0938\u0928\u094d\u0928 \u092e\u0941\u0916 \u0906\u0964 Meaning: O death, if you are ready to come, come with a smiling face| the door is open, and you are welcome.]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With no resistance, it invited death in most calming way. I was not unfamiliar with the lines. But it was uncanny to encounter this poetry along the road between AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, where the Harish Rana case at AIIMS had, not long ago, brought to limelight, the difficult questions of dignity, suffering, and right to let go. The case focused heavily on the legal and ethical complexities of passive euthanasia in India. The Court permitted that withdrawal of life support under strict protocol. This re-emphasized that dying, too, deserves dignity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Harish Rana, a young man from Ghaziabad, had been in a persistent vegetative condition for nearly 13 years after sustaining severe irreversible brain injury following a fall in 2013. His parents had approached the courts seeking withdrawal of life support, after years of exhausting caregiving. The Supreme Court concluded in a rare judgement of passive euthanasia, allowing treatment to be withdrawn under medical supervision.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This incident also re-surfaces the previous case of Aruna Shanbaug. Aruna Shanbaug was a young nurse at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, was brutally assaulted in 1973. The ghastly occurrence left her in a persistent vegetative state for over four decades, during which she was cared for by the hospital staff. The case was layered with medico-legal complexities and allegations of familial abandonment.2<\/sup> The hospital staff emerged as primary caregivers over decades. A journalist has appealed for end of her life in the Courts. In 2011, her caregivers opposed the plea for withdrawal of her life support. The Supreme Court ultimately did not permit withdrawal in her particular case, supporting her caregivers, but allowed passive euthanasia in India, for the very first time. Aruna passed away after being infected with pneumonia in 2015.3<\/sup> Earlier, in the Gian Kaur case, Court had firmly stated that the right to life does not extend to a right to die, though it acknowledged the possibility of a dignified end.4<\/sup> In the case of P. Rathinam vs. Union of India too, the Supreme Court had interpreted the right to life to include the right to die, a view that was subsequently overruled.5<\/sup> This debate found a more settled voice in the Common Cause case in 2018, where the Court recognised that dignity at the end of life is as significant as the life itself. The validity of living wills was upheld.6<\/sup> The guidelines were further simplified in 2023.7<\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the bedside of an individual suspended between life and its absence, the question is more human, ethical and social than medical. On support of euthanasia, it as an act of compassion, the only way to relieve unbearable suffering when there is no hope of recovery and return. On the opposition, one may state that decisions to end life may be clouded by unpredictability, misjudgement, even coercion in vulnerable settings.8<\/sup> In India, where socio-economic factors determines health and holistic care, the risk of misuse cannot be dismissed. However, when guided by strong protocol and collective medical judgment, passive euthanasia, somehow offers a middle path, neither hastening death nor prolonging suffering. It gently allows a dignified termination when life has already, in essence, faded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reference<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Gaur M. Forgive everyone, now go: Emotional scenes as Harish Rana moved to AIIMS. India Today. 2026; published online March 15. Available at https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/india\/story\/harish-rana-passive-euthanasia-viral-goodbye-video-as-man-in-coma-dignified-death-supreme-court-2882461-2026-03-15 (accessed on 17 March 2026).<\/p>\n

2 Parmar P, Rathod G. Aruna Shanbaug and the Evolution of Medico-Legal Ethics in India: A Forensic and Jurisprudential Reappraisal. HEC Forum<\/em> 2025; published online Nov 9. Available at https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10730-025-09568-3 (accessed on 17 March 2026).<\/p>\n

3 Aruna Shanbaug case. Wikipedia. 2026; published online March 16. Available at https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Aruna_Shanbaug_case&oldid=1343815673 (accessed on 17 March 2026).<\/p>\n

4 Gian Kaur v State of Punjab \u2013 Case Analysis – Law Corner. 2022; published online March 31. Available at https:\/\/lawcorner.in\/gian-kaur-v-state-of-punjab-case-analysis\/ (accessed on 17 March 2026).<\/p>\n

5 P. Rathinam v. Union of India (1994): A Landmark Judgment on Mental Health and Decriminalization of Suicide. P. Rathinam v. Union of India (1994). Available at https:\/\/thelegalbandhu.blogspot.com\/2025\/03\/p-rathinam-v-union-of-india-1994.html (accessed on 17 March 2026).<\/p>\n

6 Ramya S. Common Cause vs. Union of India. Law Times Journal. 2019; published online June 21. Available at https:\/\/lawtimesjournal.in\/common-cause-vs-union-of-india\/ (accessed on 17 March 2026).<\/p>\n

7 Right to Die with Dignity: SC Guidelines and Legal Framework in India. Available at https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/right-to-die-with-dignity-sc-guidelines-and-legal-framework-in-india\/ (accessed on 17 March 2026).<\/p>\n

8 Singh S. Euthanasia and Its Legal Position in India: An Analytical Study. International Journal of Engineering Science & Humanities<\/em> 2020;10:<\/strong>18\u201326.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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