New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has allowed an elderly couple to access their deceased son's frozen sperm for surrogacy, setting a significant legal precedent in posthumous reproduction. The court ruled that Indian law does not prohibit posthumous reproduction, provided consent is present. The couple's son, Preet Inder Singh, passed away in September 2020 from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after cryopreserving his sperm due to concerns that his cancer treatment might affect fertility.

Singh's parents approached the court after the hospital refused to release the sperm, citing unclear legal guidelines. The couple sought to have a grandchild through surrogacy, expressing their desire to continue their son’s legacy. The court recognized the sperm sample as part of the individual's biological material, making it inheritable under the Hindu Succession Act, in the absence of a spouse or children.

Justice Prathiba Singh, in her order, noted that there was no legal prohibition on posthumous reproduction and ruled that Singh’s parents were entitled to his sperm sample. The court also referenced international cases, including a 2002 Israeli ruling, which allowed parents to use their deceased son’s sperm for surrogacy.

The couple's two daughters pledged to take full responsibility for the child after the parents' demise, ensuring the continuity of the family line.

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Raipur, Nov 14: An IndiGo flight from Nagpur to Kolkata with 187 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing at the Raipur airport on Thursday morning after one of the passengers told the crew there was a "bomb" on the aircraft, officials said.

After landing at the airport in Chhattisgarh, the aeroplane was thoroughly checked by security personnel, but nothing suspicious was found. The passenger who gave false information about the presence of a "bomb" on the aircraft was later arrested, they said.

The flight 6E-812, with 187 passengers and six crew members on board, landed at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur sometime after 9 am following the passenger's claim, said Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Santosh Singh.

As per preliminary information, a passenger, identified as Animesh Mandal, told aircraft crew members about the presence of a "bomb" in the flight when it was mid-air, he said.

The Air Traffic Control was immediately informed and the flight was diverted to Raipur. Upon landing, the aircraft was immediately taken to the isolation bay for mandatory security checks, the police official said.

A police team along with a bomb detection and disposal squad reached the airport. All passengers were deboarded and the aircraft and luggage in it were thoroughly checked by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Raipur police personnel, he said.

After a thorough inspection, the claim about the presence of a bomb was found to be false, Singh said.

Mandal, a resident of Nagpur, was questioned by the Raipur police and later placed under arrest, said the SSP without elaborating on the motive behind the claim.

The accused was booked under section 351 (4) (the offence of criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication, or having taken precaution to conceal the name or abode of the person from whom the threat comes) and provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, he said, adding further investigation was underway.

The flight departed for Kolkata at around 12 noon, airport officials said.

On October 24, a bomb threat was issued to an Alliance Air flight from Kolkata to Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) following which the aircraft was checked at the Bilaspur airport, but nothing suspicious was found.