The student-petitioner before the bench had initially approached the Supreme Court seeking to terminate her pregnancy.
However, in an earlier hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had raised concern that permitting an abortion at 29 weeks may amount to killing the child. Echoing similar concerns, CJI Chandrachud had orally observed, at the time,
“AIIMS is bluntly saying that after child is delivered, if court says, ‘we will not put the child in neo natal care.’ That means what – It is 8 months now and this is not a normal abortion per se.”
The petitioner’s counsel, in reply, submitted,
“I discussed the report with the petitioner. She wants the abortion otherwise she says her career would be ruined and what will happen with her life and dignity?”
This led the Court to request that Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati have a dialogue with the student to guide her on her options.
Source: Barandbench
