Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug v. Union of India was a landmark case in India that dealt with the issue of passive euthanasia, or the withdrawal of medical treatment with the intention of hastening a patient's death. The case was heard by the Supreme Court of India and was decided in 2011.
The case was brought before the court by the family of Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse who had been in a persistent vegetative state for over 37 years after being raped and strangled by a ward boy in 1973. The family sought permission to withdraw the life support that was keeping Shanbaug alive, arguing that she was in a state of permanent unconsciousness and had no hope of recovery.