National
Unmarried woman can’t be denied choice of abortion: SC
New Delhi, Jul 21: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a woman cannot be denied an opportunity to terminate her pregnancy just because she is unmarried, IANS reported.
A bench presided over by Justice D Y Chandrachud noted that the amendment made into the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in 2021 used the term “partner” instead of husband to cover even unmarried women.
The court pointed out that the Parliamentary intent was not to confine the benefits to situations arising out of matrimonial relationships. In fact, a widow or a divorced woman is allowed to terminate pregnancy in the term of 20-24 weeks, the bench added.
The court was hearing a plea by a 25-year-old unmarried woman, who questioned the Delhi High Court’s July 16 order declining her request to terminate her 24-week foetus in view of her consensual relationship.
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“Allowing the petitioner to suffer an unwanted pregnancy will go against the parliamentary intent. The benefits under the Act cannot be denied to her only on the basis of her being unmarried. The distinction between a married and an unmarried woman has no nexus to the object sought to be achieved by the Parliament,” the bench said, as per IANS.
It directed AIIMS Delhi chief to set up a medical board in terms of provisions of Section 3(2)(d) MTP Act on Friday to examine if her pregnancy can be safely terminated without endangering her life.
Maintaining that the High Court had taken an unduly restrictive view in the case, the top court issued notice to the Centre on interpretation of the provisions of the law.
The woman in her plea said it was difficult for her to bring up the child as her partner had refused to marry her. She also said she was one of the five siblings of her parents, who were agriculturist. Besides giving birth to the child out of wedlock would entail ostracisation and cause her mental agony. She also said she was just an Arts graduate and non-working, so she would not be able to get sufficient means to raise the child.
A Pakistani woman on Tuesday crossed over to India from the Wagah-Attari International Border to marry a Kolkata resident with whom her marriage has been fixed in January next year.
Karachi resident Javeria Khanum crossed over into the Indian side from Attari in Amritsar district where she was welcomed by her fiance Sameer Khan and some members of his family to the beats of ‘dhol’.
Khanum has been granted a 45-day visa after two previous visa rejections and the Covid pandemic stalled their plans for around five years. The couple, in a brief interaction with reporters at Attari, said the marriage will be solemnised in January next year.
Also Read: Article 370 responsible for 45000 killings in J&K: Amit Shah
“I have been granted a 45-day visa. I am very happy to be here. Just on arrival, I am already getting so much love here. In the first week of January the marriage will be solemnised,” she said. She had tried to get a visa on two occasions, but got lucky the third time. “It is a happy ending and a happy beginning,” she said, expressing her happiness at being able to travel to India to get married.
Everyone back home was very happy. I can’t believe I have got the visa after five years, she added. Sharing how the couple got in touch, Khan said he expressed interest in marrying Khanum after seeing her photo on his mother’s phone.
“This started in May 2018. I had come home from Germany where I was studying. I saw her photo on my mother’s phone and expressed my interest. I told my mother that I want to get married to Javeria,” he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Wednesday said that Article 370 was responsible for 45000 killings in J&K and only BJP showed its will to remove something that was “temporary in nature.”
“The Article 370 was responsible for the killing of 45000 people. I am stating this with full responsibility on the floor of the house,” Shah said while replying to the discussion on two bills— Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2023 introduced by him in the Parliament on December 5.
Also Read: Doctor kills wife, 2 kids before killing self in UP
He said that everybody was convinced with the fact that Article 370 was a “temporary provision” in the constitution but nobody even took a step to remove it. “On August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Narendera Modi led government decided to remove this temporary article once for all,” Shah said amid thumping of tables by his party colleagues. Replying to a point raised by some opposition leaders that BJP by removing the Article 370 did “Vada Khilafi”, Shah replied: “Koi wada khilafi nahi…..we did what others failed to do in past 70 years.”
Stating that he never made any comment like by rolling back the Article 370, separatism and terrorism will completely end in J&K. “I stick to what I stated here. The fact is that I stated rolling back the Article 370 will bring down separatism and terrorism to all time low. And this has happened,” he said, adding that “We have rolled out zero terror plan and I am hopeful that the BJP government will come again in power in 2024 and by 2026 zero terror plan will be implemented in full.”
About BJP founder Shyama Prasad Mukherji’s slogan of Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan, the Home Minister said that this actually wasn’t a political slogan but what a nation is all about. “How can a country have two flags and two constitutions….,” Shah asked. He said earlier, the Assembly in J&K was for six years, but now it will be for five years as in other parts of the country. The Home Minister said that there was time when unfurling of tri-colour was nearly impossible at Lal Chowk, Srinagar but today, every house in J&K unfurls Tiranga and every religious festival is celebrated with fervour at Lal Chowk.
A doctor posted at a Railway hospital allegedly killed his wife and two children before committing suicide, police said on Wednesday.
Arun Kumar Singh (45), hailing from Mirzapur, was an eye specialist at the Modern Rail Coach Factory Hospital since 2017. He lived with his wife Archana (40), son Aarav (4), and daughter Ariba (12) in a house located inside the hospital complex.
The incident came to light on Tuesday night when the doctor’s colleagues informed police after no one from the family answered phone calls. The police personnel broke open the door and found the bodies.
It appears that Singh injected his children with a drug to make them unconscious before killing them, Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi said, adding that the minors died of head injuries while Singh was found hanging.
Preliminary probe suggests that the doctor was suffering from depression, police said.
According to the people living in the neighbourhood, the family was last seen two days ago on Sunday.
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