UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC upholds ‘right to die’ for man in vegetative state

Q1. In the Harish Rana judgment (March 2026), the Supreme Court directed which one of the following institutions to admit the patient to its palliative care unit and implement a structured plan for the withdrawal of Clinically Assisted Nutrition and Hydration?

  • A. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh
  • B. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
  • C. Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
  • D. Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai

Q2. The judgment that first recognised the 'right to die with dignity' as an intrinsic facet of Article 21 of the Constitution and legalised passive euthanasia along with Advance Medical Directives in India was delivered by:

  • A. A two-judge Division Bench in Aruna Shanbaug v. Union of India (2011)
  • B. A five-judge Constitution Bench in Common Cause v. Union of India (2018)
  • C. A seven-judge Constitution Bench in Gian Kaur v. State of Punjab (1996)
  • D. A nine-judge Constitution Bench in K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017)

Q3. In the context of the Harish Rana case, the term 'Clinically Assisted Nutrition and Hydration (CANH)', whose withdrawal was permitted by the Supreme Court, most precisely refers to:

  • A. The administration of opioid analgesics and sedatives to relieve suffering in terminally ill patients
  • B. The provision of nutrition and fluids to a patient through medical means such as feeding tubes (nasogastric/PEG) or intravenous lines
  • C. Continuous invasive mechanical ventilation provided to patients in intensive care units
  • D. The administration, at the patient's explicit request, of a lethal dose of medication to end life