In Brief
A 22-year-old pregnant woman sought Supreme Court permission to terminate her pregnancy upon discovering her fetus had anencephaly, a fatal defect causing absent brain and skull vault, incompatible with life. After a medical board of specialists from a government medical college confirmed the fetus could not survive and continuation posed severe mental injury risk to the mother, the Court permitted the termination under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, and Article 32. The procedure was to be supervised by the medical board, with the Solicitor General conceding the petitioner's prayer on legal and medical grounds.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.