The Kerala High Court on Thursday issued an important direction in the case of a 10-year-old girl who became pregnant from her own father in Kerala. The court has directed the medical board to take an appropriate decision on medical termination of pregnancy. Earlier the medical board had given its opinion in the matter. The medical board had said that since the pregnancy has been 31 weeks and the delivery will have to be done by operation. In such a situation, there is an 80 percent chance that the newborn will survive.
shame on the whole society
Let us inform that the mother of the 10-year-old girl had moved the court citing her health and mental condition. Commenting on the matter, a Single Bench of Justice PV Kunhikrishnan said that the father of the child is the accused. If this allegation is true, then the court is ashamed of it. He said that it is a shame for the entire society. The court also said that the accused will not escape from the long hands of the law and will be punished if found guilty. At the same time, the court ordered the medical board to take an appropriate decision in this matter within a week.
If the child remains alive, then the government should make arrangements for it.
The court said that if the newborn baby remains alive and the girl’s parents are not in a position to take responsibility for her, then it becomes the responsibility of the government and its other institutions to take care of her. Advocates M Kabani Dinesh and C Achala appeared for the petitioner, who hails from South Kerala. The court also referred to a similar decision given by the Bombay High Court in 2019. Then the court, while giving a verdict in a case, had said that if the child survives, then it is the responsibility of the registered medical practitioner and the hospital concerned to get the best treatment according to the standards. At the same time, it becomes the responsibility of the government to take care of it properly.