What does the right to die with dignity mean in practice? Harish Rana’s lawyer breaks down the Supreme Court’s ruling, the expanded definition of life support, and what it means for families.
Supreme Court’s landmark judgment allowing withdrawal of life support to Harish Rana will help families in a similar situation because of the guidelines laid down by it even as it asked the Centre to legislate, Manish Jain, counsel for Rana’s family, says. Injured after a fall when he was a civil engineering student in Chandigarh in 2013, Rana was in vegetative state for 13 years and his family fought a long legal battle. After 10 days of withdrawal of life support at AIIMS, under the watch of specialists, Rana died. Jain spoke to TOI about the dilemma before the court, application of ‘right to die with dignity’, the widened definition of life support it accepted, and more. Excerpts:
After Supreme Court’s landmark verdict, you said ‘I lost even after winning the case’. Does that also sum up the judicial dilemma on euthanasia pleas?
When we file a case, we expect relief that translates to our client living a happy life. But this was a case where I knew that even if I won, I would lose because the person I was fighting for would die. The court clarified that this case was not one of euthanasia, but of withdrawing or withholding of life. In a situation when a person can neither live nor die, all you can work towards is bringing them salvation and freeing the family of the pain. That is what the court has also done.
After Supreme Court’s landmark verdict, you said ‘I lost even after winning the case’. Does that also sum up the judicial dilemma on euthanasia pleas?
When we file a case, we expect relief that translates to our client living a happy life. But this was a case where I knew that even if I won, I would lose because the person I was fighting for would die. The court clarified that this case was not one of euthanasia, but of withdrawing or withholding of life. In a situation when a person can neither live nor die, all you can work towards is bringing them salvation and freeing the family of the pain. That is what the court has also done.