Supreme Court: Seeking clarification on the directions given in Voluntary Health Association of Punjab vs. Union of India, (2013) 4 SCC 1, where the Supreme Court had expressed its concern about female foeticide and the reduction of sex ratio and had enumerated directions as to how the persons who are required to involve in such awareness for stopping of female foeticide should equip themselves, thereby directing the State Governments to file a status report within 3 months of the said order, Colin Gonsalves, the counsel for the petitioner had brought into the notice of the Court that the Central Supervision Committee hasn’t met in last 14 months to take a stock of the situation and the National Monitoring Committee has also failed in it’s duty.
Considering the contention that the authorities have not acted on the provisions of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 with all seriousness resulting into the disaster of female foeticide and the decline in sex ration the nation is facing, the bench of Dipak Misra and N.V. Ramana, JJ asked Neeraj Kishan Kaul, the Additional Solicitor General, to file an affidavit indicating the steps taken and the results achieved. The counsels for all the States were also asked to file the affidavits within 4 weeks, barring the State of Jammu and Kashmir which was given 6 weeks’ time to file the affidavit. Voluntary Health Association of Punjab v. Union of India, Writ Petition(s) (Civil) No(s).349/2006, decided on 16.09.2014
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