NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea seeking nod to terminate 32-week-old pregnancy of a 10-year-old rape survivor.
The top court considered the report of medical board that said termination of pregnancy is neither good for the girl nor for the fetus.
The apex court suggested the Centre to set up a permanent medical board in each state to take prompt decisions in such cases.
The court verdict came on a petition filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava after a Chandigarh district court on July 18 refused to let the girl undergo the abortion after it was confirmed that she was 26-week-pregnant.
The PIL also sought appropriate guidelines be framed by the top court to set up a permanent medical board in each district of India for expedient termination of pregnancies in exceptional cases involving child rape survivors under the best possible medical facilities.
Courts allow medical termination of pregnancy up to 20 weeks under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and can make an exception if the fetus is genetically abnormal.