Maharashtra
‘Woman’s right to choose…’ Bombay HC allows termination of 32-week pregnancy with foetal abnormalities
A woman has the right to choose whether to continue her pregnancy or not and the decision is hers and hers alone to make, the Bombay High Court said while allowing a married woman to terminate her 32-week pregnancy after the foetus was detected with severe abnormalities.
The woman had approached HC seeking to terminate her pregnancy after a sonography revealed the foetus had severe abnormalities and that the baby would be born with physical and mental disabilities.
“Given a severe foetal abnormality, the length of the pregnancy does not matter. The petitioner has taken an informed decision. It is not an easy one. But that decision is hers, and hers alone to make. The right to choose is of the petitioner’s. It is not the right of the Medical Board,” the court said in its order.
Refusing termination of pregnancy only on grounds of delay would not only be condemning the foetus to a less than optimal life but would also be condemning the mother to a future that will almost certainly rob her of every positive attribute of parenthood, the HC said.
Denial of her right to dignity
“It would be a denial of her right to dignity, and her reproductive and decisional autonomy. The mother knows today there is no possibility of having a normal healthy baby at the end of this delivery,” the court said.
“Accepting the Medical Board’s view is not just to condemn the foetus to a substandard life but is to force on the petitioner and her husband an unhappy and traumatic parenthood. The effect on them and their family cannot even be imagined,” it added.
The petitioner’s foetus is detected with both microcephaly and lissencephaly, and this is what the future portends, the bench said.
Asserting that the rights of the woman should never be compromised in the “blind application of a statute”, the court said, “Justice may have to be blindfolded; it can never be allowed to be blindsided. We are agnostic about the relative positions of parties. We can never be agnostic about where justice needs to be delivered.”
Moral dilemma
It said cases such as this often raise profound moral questions and dilemmas, but it is immutable that the “arc of the moral universe always bends towards justice”.
The bench said the existence of the foetal anomaly, as well as its severity, was certain as also the fact that it was detected late.
“Because it is difficult to predict at birth what problems will occur, microcephalic babies need constant and regular follow up and check-ups with health care providers. There is no known cure or standard treatment for it. In more extreme cases, microcephalic babies need intervention almost constantly,” the court said.
Most disturbingly, the prognosis for children with lissencephaly depends on the degree of brain malformation, it added.
The bench noted the medical board did not take into account the social and economic position of the couple.
“It ignores their milieu entirely. It does not even attempt to envision the kind of life, one with no quality at all to speak of, that the petitioner must endure for an indefinite future if the Board’s recommendation is to be followed,” the HC said.
“The Board really does only one thing: because late, therefore no. And that is plainly wrong, as we have seen,” the court said while allowing the pregnancy to be terminated.
Maharashtra
UP gangster wanted under Gangster Act arrested from Mumbai, major police operation UP police sent accused to UP

Mumbai: Police has succeeded in arresting a gangster and gang leader from Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh. He is residing here hiding his identity. Mumbai Police received information that he is hiding in Bay Hotel. After which Yellow Gate Police arrested gangster and gang leader Nishant Rajesh Singh (23), wanted in three cases in Sitapur. In the initial investigation, he tried to mislead the police, but later he told that he belongs to UP and later Mumbai Police contacted Uttar Pradesh Police and it came to know that he is wanted in three cases in Sitapur including theft, illegal weapons, Gangster Act, after which UP Police came to Mumbai today and took the accused into custody and took him to Uttar Pradesh. This operation was carried out by DCP Vijay Kant Sagar on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti.
Maharashtra
A very rare surgery: Rajawadi Hospital team successfully removes a 5.5 kg, 30 cm tumor from the uterus of a 46-year-old woman

A 46-year-old woman from Mankhurd, Mumbai, had been suffering from health problems like persistent abdominal swelling, abdominal pain and difficulty in breathing for the past two years. In view of these symptoms, she sought treatment at the Outpatient Department (OPD) of the Gynaecology Department at BMC-run Seth Vadelal Chhatrapati Gandhi and Monji Amidas Vora Municipal General Hospital (Rajawadi Hospital) in Ghatkopar. The hospital team successfully removed a tumour weighing around 5.5 kg and measuring 30 cm from the patient’s uterus. As her symptoms worsened significantly, a comprehensive review of her medical history, physical examination and necessary diagnostic tests were conducted. These tests revealed a uterine tumour measuring around 30 cm. Initial diagnosis suggested that the mass was a ‘giant leiomyoma’ (fibroid). All necessary precautions and planning were taken to deal with possible complications during and after the surgery, and the procedure was performed later. Dr. Swadina B. Mohanty, Dr. Shalini Bagaria, Dr. Arva Kamble, and Dr. Kajal Salvi played a key role in the surgery performed by the Gynecology Department. Dr. Shreyash and Dr. Netra, under the guidance of anesthesiologist Dr. Chhavi, managed the anesthesia team. Additionally, surgical staff nurse Neelakshi Guru and her team provided vital support during the surgery. Due to the large size of the tumor and the extensive network of blood vessels, the surgery was performed with utmost care. The 5.5 kg tumor removed during the procedure has been sent for histopathological examination, and the final report is awaited. Post-surgery, the patient received specialized care and was discharged from the hospital on the fifth day in excellent health. Cases of such large uterine tumors are extremely rare.
Maharashtra
Immediate financial assistance and rehabilitation for the victims of the Bhiwandi Kohinoor building tragedy and strict action against the culprits. Abu Asim Azmi

Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has written a letter to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, and Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Mukrandji Jadhav, appealing for justice for the victims of the tragic and serious incident of collapse of the four-storey Kohinoor building in Balaji Nagar area of Bhiwandi city. Through the letter, MLA Abu Asim Azmi has put forward important demands and issues, including raising questions about administrative negligence.
The Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation had earlier declared the building ‘extremely dangerous’ and issued a notice. Despite this, the administration failed to take timely and concrete steps to ensure the safe rehabilitation of the residents. Lives were lost due to administrative delay and negligence. Along with immediate assistance to the deceased and injured, he demanded that the government immediately provide financial assistance to the families of the citizens who lost their lives in the accident and ensure that all the injured are provided with the best medical treatment at government expense. Regarding the structural audit of the most dangerous buildings, Azmi said that a ‘structural audit’ of all the dilapidated and most dangerous buildings in Bhiwandi city should be conducted immediately, and arrangements for the temporary and permanent rehabilitation of their residents should be made without delay. Azmi has also demanded strict action against the guilty officials and has said that strict legal and administrative action should be taken against the officials responsible for this major accident and the negligence associated with it. Abu Asim Azmi has appealed to the government to take suo motu notice of the matter and ensure that justice and relief reach the affected families in Bhiwandi as soon as possible.
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