HC: Police can’t force docs to reveal names of pregnant minors

The Bombay high court on Tuesday allowed a Malad-based doctor to terminate a minor’s 13-week pregnancy without disclosing her identity and ordered the Director General of Police, Maharashtra to instruct all police stations across the state to not compel doctors reveal the identities of pregnant minors who approach them for medical termination of their unwanted pregnancies.

- Prateem Rohanekar

The division bench of justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Dr Neela Gokhale passed the order ona petition filed by Dr Nikhil Datar, who was compelled by the Malad police to disclose the name of his minor patient who wished to medically terminate her pregnancy.

Datar was approached by the parents of the minor girl on July 23, after she missed her periods anda home test confirmed that she was pregnant. The parents did not wish to report the boy since the adolescents were in a consensual relationship and had sworn an affidavit to the effect.