The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed medical termination of pregnancy of a woman, having gestation period of 25 weeks, as the foetus was suffering from physical deformities and and had no chance of survival.
A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Rekha Palli appreciated the Lady Hardinge Hospital for expeditiously forming a Medical Board and submitting a report regarding feasibility of termination of the petitioner’s pregnancy.
The petitioner had relied on an ultrasound report to state that the foetus does not have any skull bone, has small atrophic matter (aenecephaly), deformed vertebral column and is also suffering from mild ascitis omphalocele.
Justice Palli wanted to interact with the petitioner before passing the order, but the Counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the petitioner is a woman of limited means and was unable to join virtually.
On the previous date of hearing, the court had directed the Lady Hardinge Hospital to constitute a medical board to ascertain the feasibility of medical termination of pregnancy of the petitioner. The petition was filed and argued by Advocate Sneha Mukherjee.