Article 21 and the Right to Die with Dignity

Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. The Supreme Court has progressively expanded its ambit. In P. Rathinam v. Union of India (1994), the Court held that the right to life includes the right not to live, but this was overruled in Gian Kaur v. State of Punjab (1996) by a five-judge bench, which held that Article 21 does not include the right to die but does protect the right to live with dignity — including the right to a dignified death. Common Cause (2018) built on this to allow passive euthanasia and advance directives (living wills).