SC orders medical board in abnormal foetus case

New Delhi, July 22: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to set up a medical board at KEM Hospital in Mumbai to examine the rape victim seeking termition of her 24-week-old pregncy on grounds of an abnormal foetus and submit a report on Monday. The bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice Arun Mishra asked the victim to appear before the board at 10 a.m. on Saturday so that she could be examined to ascertain whether the foetus can be termited or not. The bench said that the report by the medical board would be placed before it on Monday morning, turning down a suggestion by Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to take up the matter on Tuesday as because of intervening Sunday, the report may not reach the court on Monday. However, the court referred the matter to KEM Hospital in Mumbai as senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioner, told it that she was in Mumbai and given her condition, it would not be possible for her to travel to Delhi. The bench then asked the Solicitor General to assist the court on the question of law, saying: “The issue is not as simple as it appears.” (IANS)