Cannot be compelled to carry a pregnancy, says J&K High Court on 11-year-old girl’s case

Cannot be compelled to carry a pregnancy, notes J&K High Court on 11-year-old girl's case The ruling came after a medical board identified that the pregnancy had advanced to 24 weeks and 02 days by September 22, the date of the judgment.

What happened

In practice, the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on Tuesday allowed an 11-year-old girl to terminate her pregnancy, saying the mere fact that it had crossed the statutory 24-week period prescribed under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act could not result in denial of constitutional protection to the child.

Disposing of a petition filed on behalf of the minor for medical termination of her pregnancy, Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal directed the authorities to take immediate steps, saying that "the minor being about 11 years old cannot be compelled to carry a pregnancy resulting from the sexual assault committed upon her".

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around cannot be compelled to carry a pregnancy, says J&K High Court on point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.