Gangraped Woman Files Plea in Gujarat High Court to Terminate Her Pregnancy

A woman, who became pregnant after she was allegedly raped by seven men, filed a plea before the High Court today seeking termination of her pregnancy, stating that her husband may not accept her if she gave birth to the child.

Her plea stated that she sought the court's permission to terminate her 26-week pregnancy, after a lower court cited provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and denied permission to her to do so.

As per an FIR lodged in Ranpur police station on March 16, she was abducted and gangraped by seven persons in July 2014 and kept at different places for eight months.

After learning about her pregnancy due to gangrape, she approached a lower court in Botad to terminate her pregnancy which was assessed at 24 weeks then.

However, the court rejected her plea on March 26 citing Section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. The court noted that the Act permits termination of pregnancy, provided it had not exceeded 20 weeks.

The woman has approached the High Court to set aside the lower court's order and permit her to abort the child. In her plea, she claimed that her husband may throw her out of the house if she gave birth to somebody else's child.

After hearing arguments, Justice J B Pardiwala expressed concern for the rape victim and said that the court is aware about her pain.

He reserved the order and asked Gujarat government to come up with suggestions, including the possibility of keeping the child in an orphanage if she gave birth.