Open Access Research Article

PASSIVE EUTHANASIA AND THE INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES OF END-OF-LIFE CARE IN INDIA

Author(s):
ARNAV KALBHOR ARINDAM GUPTA MAHAK YADAV
Journal IJLRA
ISSN 2582-6433
Access Open Access
Volume 3
Issue 7
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Abstract

“This article examines the implementation gap between the constitutional recognition of the right to die with dignity and its practical accessibility in India through an analysis of the Supreme Court’s February 2026 order in order in Harish Rana v. Union of India. This order operationalised passive euthanasia for an individual under the Common Cause framework. The bureaucratic provisions embedded in the Common Cause guidelines are animated by concerns of misuse and assumptions of uniform institutional capacity across India. Even after the 2023 modifications simplified certain procedural requirements, the petitioner’s family’s demonstrates that it that procedural simplification without institutional infrastructure achieves little. This article traces the evolution of euthanasia jurisprudence from P Rathinam to Common Cause, identifies unresolved issues concerning patient autonomy and advance directives, examines structural barriers like bureaucratic procedures, rural access problems and the deficit in end-of-life care infrastructure. A comparative analysis of the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands also offers alternative models that privilege clinical judgment and decentralised oversight. The article concludes that India requires comprehensive legislation, accessible medical decision-making mechanisms such as district-level review committees and telemedicine-based boards and stronger end-of-life care policies to transform a constitutionally recognised right into a practically realisable one.”

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Authors: ARNAV KALBHOR, ARINDAM GUPTA & MAHAK YADAVRegistration ID: 1013308 | Published Paper ID: IJLRA13308, IJLRA13311 & IJLRA13312Year: Oct-2026 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 7Approved ISSN: 2582-6433 | Country: Delhi, IndiaPage No.: 659- 675

Article Information

PASSIVE EUTHANASIA AND THE INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES OF END-OF-LIFE CARE IN INDIA

Authors: ARNAV KALBHOR, ARINDAM GUPTA, MAHAK YADAV

  • Journal IJLRA
  • ISSN 2582-6433
  • Volume 3
  • Issue 7
Citation Download Paper Full Details Search on Google Search on Google Scholar

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International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis

  • AbbreviationIJLRA
  • ISSN2582-6433
  • AccessOpen Access
  • LicenseCC 4.0

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