The Supreme Court said prosecution should be made watertight in female foeticide cases.
The Supreme Court today lamented the sex ratio in Haryana, which is on a downward spiral, can ultimately "affect the human race and civilization". To contain the situation, the court ordered that the prosecution be made watertight and to that end, officers be trained to specialise in such cases.
Pre-natal sex determination is banned in the country, but still the law is violated and female fetuses are aborted.
The situation is the worst in Haryana, where the ratio currently stands at 874:1000 (874 girls born for every 1000 boys). The petitioner had said the sex ratio in Jajjar district is 793 girls to every 1000 boys.
The natural sex ratio at birth is reverse -- 1050:1000 (1050 girls born for every 1000 boys) -- and the national average is 941:1000.
"The worsening of sex ratio in Haryana is a disturbing problem as the same is ultimately likely to affect the human race and civilisation in entirety," said a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra. "Value (should be placed) on the life of a woman, for she is the basic pillar of human race in any society."
Most cases to prosecute the accused are either dismissed or remain pending due to lack of expertise shown by the government authorities collecting evidence or framing of charges.
The court directed the state government to train officers who deal with such cases. The training will be given at the judicial academy of Punjab and Haryana high court.
The court also directed trial courts in Haryana to dispose of the pending cases under Pre-Natal Sex Determination Act within four months.
"Unless this menace is eradicated in time, it has the potential to lead to a disastrous state of affairs," the court said.
The court had earlier delivered verdict on how to stop female foeticide. Now it is dealing with the implementation of the law banning pre-natal sex determination tests, by doing a review of every state.
On February 17, the court is expected to take up the states of Delhi and Tamil Nadu.