New Delhi, March 11 -- For 13 years, Harish Rana lay motionless in a persistent vegetative state, kept alive by a feeding tube while his parents spent their savings, sold their home and fought court after court for the right to let their son die with dignity. On 11 March 2026, India's Supreme Court finally said yes, and in doing so, made history.

Harish Rana, a 32-year-old man, has remained in an irreversible vegetative state for 13 years after suffering a devastating fall from a building. He was an engineering student in Chandigarh when a fall from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in August 2013 caused a severe traumatic brain injury.

Since then, Harish Rana has remained in a permanent vegetative state, experiencing s...