New Delhi: A 16-year-old minor victim of sexual assault sought the Delhi High Court‘s nod on Friday to terminate her 26-week-old pregnancy.Taking note of her plight, HC asked for a report about the feasibility of carrying out the termination procedure from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after it was informed that, on intimation of the police, the hospital set up a board on Friday itself.“Keeping in mind the urgency cited, the above medical board is directed to conduct the necessary medical examination and to give the requisite report. Let such report be transmitted to this Court in a sealed envelope on or before 30 June 2025, or the investigating officer of the case would be permitted to collect such sealed envelope, containing the report, from the concerned medical board,” Justice Manoj Jain noted.The girl, who was sexually assaulted twice, moved the court through her mother and informed her that she is currently at an approximate 26-week gestational period as per the latest ultrasound findings.Since the current gestational age is beyond the permissible limit of 24 weeks, the mother sought the intervention of the HC for termination of the pregnancy, claiming that the minor learnt only on 21 June 2025 that she was pregnant.Through their counsel, the mother-daughter duo said she wants to terminate the pregnancy arising out of the alleged sexual assault and sought that a medical board be constituted to submit its medical opinion in terms of Section 3(2)(b) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.The plea also sought a clear direction to the authorities to medically terminate such pregnancy as she is not willing to continue with it. It was also submitted that since the pregnancy is a direct consequence of sexual assault, the anguish caused by such pregnancy is required to be presumed as a grave injury to her mental health.Aware of the urgency of the situation, as the minor is a victim of sexual assault, the court asked AIIMS to immediately examine the victim and furnish a report so that it can take a call if she is fit to undergo the procedure.Last year, the HC, in a separate matter of a widow suffering from depression, recalled its nod for termination of the fetus after AIIMS, where the woman was medically examined, opined against it. In its report, AIIMS said as per the MTP Act, the provision of termination of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks is to be done for fetuses having significant abnormalities and “feticide in this case is neither justified nor ethical as the fetus is grossly normal.”
