After the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the right to die with dignity is a fundamental right under Article 21, the state government approved measures to support patients with severe terminal conditions and no chance of recovery. In 2023 the court issued detailed procedures that were later refined for clarity. On July 8 2026 Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav endorsed guidelines for withdrawing life support from terminally ill patients following consultations with senior officials. The rules aim to allow such patients a dignified natural death by stopping life-sustaining interventions. A department press release noted that the lack of prior guidance had caused uncertainty for doctors and families. Under the new framework physicians must first verify any Advance Medical Directive a written statement made by a person while competent describing preferred treatment if decision-making capacity is later lost. Such directives require voluntary signing in sound mind before two independent witnesses and attestation by a notary or gazetted officer with a copy filed with the local authority that designates a custodian. Hospitals must form primary and secondary medical boards whose decisions along with consent from nominated relatives are required before withdrawal proceeds. Without an advance directive the treating facility creates a primary board that consults the family physician if available and the next of kin or guardian on risks and benefits of stopping treatment. Written consent from the guardian leads the primary board to share its view with the secondary board for further review. Disagreement by the boards allows the nominated person to seek High Court intervention. The Director of Medical Education Director of Secondary Health and district medical officers will supervise compliance.
