SC warns Union govt of contempt over delay in minor's abortion order
New Delhi, April 28 -- The Supreme Court on Monday warned the Union government of contempt proceedings if it failed to comply with its April 24 order permitting a 15-year-old Delhi girl to terminate her over 28-week pregnancy at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), making it clear that the procedure must be carried out without delay.
A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan rejected an urgent plea by additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati to list a review petition in open court, even as the law officer flagged "grave" medical concerns. "You have to follow our order or face contempt," the bench told Bhati, underscoring that the operative directions had been issued on April 24 and were binding.
The court also expressed surprise at the government's haste in seeking a review before the detailed judgment was released. "We released the operative part of the order on the same day. The detailed order is yet to be released and you have filed the review without even waiting for the full order?" remarked the bench, declining to entertain the request for immediate listing.
The warning comes two days after the court delivered a strongly worded ruling foregrounding reproductive autonomy and the right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Allowing the minor to undergo termination despite the pregnancy having crossed the statutory threshold under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, the bench had held that no woman, "and more so a minor child", can be compelled to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term against her will.
The court warned that forcing a woman to continue such a pregnancy would render her "subordinate" to the child yet to be born and amount to a direct affront to her dignity.
On Monday, the bench reiterated that its directions were to be implemented forthwith, leaving little room for administrative or legal hesitation. The minor, who has been admitted at AIIMS since April 10, is to undergo the procedure with all necessary medical safeguards in place....
इस लेख के रीप्रिंट को खरीदने या इस प्रकाशन का पूरा फ़ीड प्राप्त करने के लिए, कृपया
हमे संपर्क करें.