Sex determination: Woman loses legal battle, NGOs stand by her

New Delhi, Sep 20 (PTI) A group of civil society bodieswill launch an online campaign in support of a woman doctor,whose eight-year-old struggle for justice against "illegal sexdetermination" of her twin daughters, ended on a bleak note. Mitu Khurana, 40, said to be the first woman in thecountry to file case against her husband and in-lawsunder the Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act(PC-PNDT), 1994, has exhausted her legal recourse after theSupreme Court recently dismissed her case. "My in-laws had illegally determined the sex of thefoetus, and after finding that I was carrying twin daughters,forced me to abort them," she alleged. "I fought this battle from the lower court to the SupremeCourt. My fight was not just for myself but also for mydaughters and for many women who continue to sufferharassment. Was it my fault that I fought back and struggledfor justice," she said. A few representatives from different civil societies andwomen rights’ bodies today held a press conference here in thepresence of Khurana, a physician, and appealed to people tosupport her cause. "After losing in court, we would now go to people’scourt. Some of the organisations fighting for women’s righthave decided to rally behind this cause and very soon we aregoing to launch an online campaign seeking justice for her,"President, Forum Against Corruption and Threats, Indu PrakahSingh told reporters. Advocates Anu Narula and Indira Unninyar also addressedthe press conference and pledged support to Khurana. "If the court says our case was bad, we wish it wouldtell us the lacunae in it. But, her case of struggle foreight-long years just being summarily rejected, makes us feelsad," Narula said. Khurana’s cause has been supported by various well-knowNGOs like ActionAid, AIDWA and Girls Count, Singh said. The alleged incident took place in 2005 here and Khuranaclaimed that in the list of 103 patients, for whom Form F weresubmitted in April 2005, her name was not there. "This form is a necessary document before conducting anysuch test. And, so not having my consent before conducting it,itself makes it illegal," she said. "The fight for justice will continue as this is not justfor Mitu but several other women like her, who have come outand admitted the harassment they are being subjected to,"Singh said. PTI KND PMS RGPMS