The Supreme court has recently upheld a Madhya Pradesh High Court order which dismissed an anticipatory bail of an accused of an illegal abortion. The bench, which was comprised of Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar, Vineet Saran, and Ajay Rastogi made a strict approach to this case due to the history of female foeticide in India. The accused was charged under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 and under the provisions of the Pre-Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 for allegedly conducting an illegal sex-selective abortion. The investigation team was able to seize a sonography machine, an ultrasound machine with no registration or license, and other equipment used for the abortion from the accused’s residence. All this showed that the accused played an active role in conducting this illegal practice. While dismissing the plea the court stated that no leniency will be granted for such illegal activity and a more strict approach has to be adopted to eliminate the iniquity towards girl children in Indian society.
