Gujarat HC issues notice to mental hospital in pregnancy case

Hearing a petition challenging the lower court's order allowing termination of pregnancy of a mentally-challenged woman, the Gujarat High Court today issued notice to the city-based mental hospital.
After the sessions court allowed Gujarat government to terminate the woman's 15-week pregnancy based on the opinion of the mental hospital, city-based lawyer Anand Brahmbhatt challenged the order before the High Court.
Justice Abhilasha Kumari issued notice to the hospital authorities seeking all the case papers and medical reports of the woman by tomorrow. Next hearing would be on Wednesday.
Advocate Brahmbhatt, who had appeared as amicus curaie in the case before the sessions court, has challenged the order through his advocate Viashal Dave, arguing that the sessions court had no jurisdiction to decide the issue.

The woman, in her late 20s, was found on the street by the police two months ago. She was sent to a government-run mental health centre in Meghaninagar here where medical check-up revealed that she was pregnant. The government's stand has been that her pregnancy should be terminated because she would not be able to fulfil responsibilities of motherhood.