The Supreme Court conducted a special Saturday session to reprimand the Gujarat High Court for its delay in resolving a rape survivor’s plea for the medical termination of her pregnancy, which had reached 27 weeks. The woman initially approached the Gujarat High Court on August 7, seeking authorization to terminate her 26-week-old fetus. In response, the high court assembled a medical board on August 8 to evaluate her health status.
Although the medical board’s findings were officially noted on August 11, the case’s hearing date was postponed to August 23, a 12-day interval. Additionally, the court dismissed the case’s listing on August 17. Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan of the Supreme Court remarked that cases of this nature should be treated with a sense of urgency and not dealt with in a nonchalant manner. They highlighted the loss of crucial time due to the high court’s 12-day adjournment, despite the medical report supporting the plea for a safe abortion.
The Supreme Court bench issued directives for a revised medical report to be submitted by the medical board by Sunday evening. They scheduled the matter for consideration on Monday, making it the first item on the agenda. The court’s admonishment underscores the significance of promptly addressing such cases and taking swift action, emphasizing the need for urgency and sensitivity in proceedings of this nature.
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