Ahmedabad:
The Gujarat High Court has allowed a 16-year-old rape victim to abort her eight-week foetus under proper medical care, on a plea by her parents.
Citing provisions of Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, High Court justice KJ Thaker asked the local police to take her to Sola Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad and submit the latest medical reports of the doctors by Tuesday before proceeding for the termination of her pregnancy.
The court's order came in response to a plea filed by the victim's parents, who came to know about the alleged rape on their daughter when they took the girl for medical test at Sola Civil Hospital on December 12.
In her FIR lodged with Sola Police in Ahmedabad, the victim alleged that she was raped thrice by a youth in the last three months, which resulted in her pregnancy. Based on the complaint, the accused has been arrested by Sola Police and lodged in jail, stated the plea.
As the medical tests confirmed that the girl is 8-week pregnant, her parents sought High Court's permission to abort the child under the provision of Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, which permits abortion under the supervision of single doctor panel if the pregnancy is of less than 12 weeks.