Mumbai: The Bombay high court has allowed a 13-year-old rape victim to terminate her 26-week-old foetus.

The court while passing the order, said, “After going through all the reports of the medical board and also having due regard for the fundamental right conferred under article 21 of the Constitution of India to live a life of dignity, it will be appropriate and in the interest of justice to permit the petitioner to undergo medical termination of pregnancy under the provision of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.”

On April 27, the court, while hearing a petition filed by the victim and her mother, seeking permission to terminate the victim’s foetus, perused the report filed by the doctors of B.J. Medical Hospital, Pune. It then directed the JJ Hospital dean to constitute an expert doctors’ committee to examine the victim. The JJ committee filed the report on Friday, which stated that it was not advisable to continue the pregnancy. The report said that continuation of pregnancy might endanger victim’s life and she might develop pregnancy-related complications.