A bench of Supreme Court headed by Justice Dipak Misra while rapping Centre for being ‘sloppy’ in checking female foeticide directed the Central and State Governments to give detailed information about the actions taken by them to implement Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PNDT Act).
It directed that Centre to file affidavit through Additional Secretary of Health and or any other concerned Additional Secretary which shall clearly indicate what steps have been taken and what results have been achieved to stop female foeticide. The bench also directed that Health Secretaries of the state to file affidavit within four weeks. It, however, granted six weeks time to Jammu and Kashmir to file the response in view of state being devastated by recent floods.
The apex court had on March 4 last year directed the Centre and state governments to take quick and tough action against people indulging in female foeticide and had passed a slew of directions for effective implementation of PNDT Act.
Court had directed the governments to map all ultra- sonography clinics within three months and asked the lower courts to dispose all cases for violation of the Act within a period of six months to bring the accused to book. It had also said that special cell be constituted by the state governments and the Union Territories to monitor the progress of various cases pending in the courts under the Act and take steps for their early disposal.