Court allows minor rape survivor to terminate pregnancy
Lucknow: Considering the trauma that the minor rape survivor may face if she has to give birth to an unborn child, the Allahabad High Court Friday permitted her to medically terminate her pregnancy, even if it crossed 20 weeks, the permissible limit given in Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
The Lucknow bench of the court asked her to get herself admitted to KGMU on the day itself.
Meanwhile, the court also asked a panel of doctors to preserve the residue of the embryo so that it may be available for scientific investigation, if so needed.
A bench of justice D K Upadhyay and justice Alok Mathur passed the order on the writ petition moved by the father of the minor rape survivor.
It was pleaded in the petition that the petitioner girl was raped and then she became pregnant by 21 weeks.
An FIR has been lodged in the matter against the accused who is of father's age of the survivor.
The petitioner pleaded that under the MTP Act , since pregnancy of 21 weeks cannot be terminated and as such, it is only the high court which could pass the appropriate direction to permit the survivor to get rid of the unwanted unborn child.
Taking up the matter, the court on July 17 had directed the KGMU to constitute a panel of four doctors to explore the situation as to whether the termination can be allowed in the present case looking to the physical and mental condition of the survivor during pregnancy and after she has to give birth to the child.
KGMU counsel Abhinav N Trivedi presented the report in the court on Thursday.
At this, the court requested senior counsel J N Mathur and Bulbul Godial to assist it as amicus-curie (friend to the court).
The two counsel argued at length on Friday and suggested to the bench that in the present matter, it would be just if the termination was allowed.
The court also directed for preservation of tissues of the embryo after its termination so that it can be available during investigation if so required.
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Gurupura: Bus-lorry collide near Bellibettu, drivers critically injured
6 Lakh in cash recovered during rescue operation
Bajpe: A private bus and a lorry collided head-on near Bellibettu bus stand on Wednesday, leaving both drivers seriously injured.
According to sources, the private bus was travelling from Mangaluru to Karkala and a lorry was heading towards Mangaluru.
The impact of the collision was severe, leaving the front portions of both the bus and the lorry completely crushed.
According to locals, the drivers of both vehicles were trapped inside the mangled vehicles and had to be rescued by cutting parts of the damaged vehicles using a gas cutter. Passengers travelling in the bus sustained minor injuries.
The injured drivers were shifted to a private hospital in the city for treatment. Personnel from the Bajpe police station visited the spot, conducted an inspection, and registered a case.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that during the rescue operation, a local resident, Rafiq Gurupura, found around Rs 6 lakh in cash while cutting open parts of the bus.
The amount was subsequently handed over to the Bajpe police. The rescue operation was carried out by locals including Rafiq, Shivarama, Raoof, Fazil and others.
