The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a Medical Board at PGI Chandigarh to examine a 10-year-old rape survivor seeking to terminate her 26-week-old pregnancy.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, issued notice to the Centre and the Member Secretary of Chandigarh legal Services Committee to respond on a PIl highlighting the plight of the girl. Posting the matter for Friday, the Court asked the Member Secretary to ensure transportation is arranged to take the girl and one of her parents to the PGI Chandigarh on Wednesday.
The bench, also comprising Justice DY Chandrachud, directed the Board of doctors to advise whether aborting the foetus would cause risk to the girl’s life. The Member Secretary was asked to remain present with the medical report on Friday.
The PIl by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava was filed after a Chandigarh district court on July 18 refused to let the girl undergo the abortion of her 26-week foetus. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, there is a legal bar on removing foetus aged above 20 weeks, unless the foetus is genetically abnormal.
The petition sought guidelines to ensure expedient termination of pregnancies in exceptional cases involving child rape survivors.