Supreme Court: Expressing concern over the dwindling sex ratio and increase in cases of female foeticide, the Bench of Dipak Misra and U.U. Lalit, J.J., directed the concerned health authorities for the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and NCT of Delhi, to organize a meeting under the auspices of National Inspection and Monitoring Committee so as to scrutinize the Annual Health Survey statistics for sex- ratio presented by these states by presenting the relevant registers and records before the committee. The Court further directed that the States are to give suggestions to provide incentives to the families who have been instrumental in improving the sex ratio by honouring the girl child or by giving birth to a girl child.
In the present order, the Court sought to peruse the affidavits presented by the States revealing the annual and district wise data related to female sex ratio, which the Court found inadequate for the want of a proper methodology for calculation. Colin Gonsalves and N.K. Kaul, Additional Solicitor General, represented the petitioners and the respondent respectively.
The Court observed that the documents that formed the basis of the sex ratio statistics should be verified to check their accuracy for the satisfaction of the Court. The Court further observed that the purpose of the verification is to find out that whether there has been a degradation of the sex ratio or a stagnation or any steps have really been taken by the concerned States to improve the sex ratio or not. Voluntary Health Ass. of
