New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday permitted a 14-year-old alleged rape survivor to undergo medical termination of her almost 30-week pregnancy.

Exercising its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution which empowers it to pass any order necessary for doing complete justice in any case, a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud directed the dean of the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital (LTMGH) at Sion in Mumbai to set up a team of doctors immediately for terminating the pregnancy.

It also set aside the Bombay High Court order declining the plea, filed by the father of the minor, seeking medical termination of her pregnancy.

The top court had on April 19 ordered medical examination of the minor.

It had sought a report from Mumbai's Sion hospital about the girl's possible physical and psychological condition if she undergoes medical termination of pregnancy or if she is advised against it.

Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, the upper limit for termination of pregnancy is 24 weeks for married women as well as for those in special categories, including rape survivors, and other vulnerable women, such as the differently abled and minors.

 

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.

It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.

"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.

"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.

The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.

Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.