State Mandated to Ensure Immediate Medical and Statutory Support for Minor Rape Victims Carrying Unwanted Pregnancies

The petitioners, a 17-year-old minor rape survivor of unsound mind ('X') and her maternal grandfather, sought a direction for the medical termination of her five-month pregnancy.

An FIR was registered on 11.06.2023.

Despite a medical report confirming pregnancy at 22 weeks and 6 days, and the victim’s statement under Section 164 Cr.P.C. that she did not wish to keep the child, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) failed to facilitate termination.

The CWC erroneously directed that the pregnancy should not be aborted.

A delay of 54 days occurred before the High Court intervened, by which time a surgical delivery was necessitated.

The court subsequently expanded the scope to investigate systemic failures in the implementation of the MTP Act and the POCSO Act across Uttar Pradesh.

1. Whether there was a systemic failure by State authorities in implementing the statutory mandate for medical termination of pregnancy for minor rape survivors.

2. Whether the lack of functional Medical Boards and adequate Support Persons constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights of victims under Article 21.

3. What institutional mechanisms must be established to ensure accountability and coordination between the Police, Health Department, and Child Welfare Committees.

The court applied Section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971 (as amended in 2021), which mandates the constitution of Medical Boards and allows termination up to 24 weeks, and beyond for fetal abnormalities or rape survivors.

It relied on Section 39 of the POCSO Act, 2012, and Rule 4 of the POCSO Rules, 2020, regarding the mandatory appointment of Support Persons.

The court also invoked the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, specifically Section 27 regarding the duties of the CWC and Section 54 regarding mandatory inspections.

Constitutional principles of reproductive autonomy and bodily integrity from X v. Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, NCT of Delhi (2022) were central to the mandate.

The Court found a "troubling tendency of bureaucratic systems to render the law ineffective".

Analysis of State data revealed that for 52 years, many districts lacked functional Medical Boards, and bulk reconstitutions occurred only after judicial prodding.

The court noted a "catastrophic mismatch" in the Department of Women and Child Development, where districts like Gorakhpur had only 2 Support Persons for 1,142 cases.

The CWC’s refusal to allow termination was deemed "insensitive" and "negligent," ignoring the victim's mental state and legal autonomy.

The Court linked the 54-day delay directly to the CMO’s failure to constitute a Board under Section 3(2-D) of the MTP Act.

The lack of oversight was evidenced by the Principal Secretary's "NIL" return on mandatory inspections of Child Care Institutions over five years.

(i) victims must be produced before a CMO/Medical Board without losing a single day; (ii) police must record all steps in the General Diary for oversight; (iii) every district must maintain a functional Medical Board reconstituted annually; and (iv) the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) is empowered to recommend salary attachment and disciplinary action against CMOs or CWC members for dereliction of duty.

The Court further directed the State to conduct a socio-psychological study and recommended the enactment of new legislation to protect the rights of children born out of rape.