Gujarath: In a petition to the Gujarath High Court, the desperate father of a 14-year rape survivor requested permission from the former, for the termination of  her 24-week pregnancy. However, Justice Abhilasha Kumari refused permission on the ground that the existing law does not allow termination of pregnancy after 20 weeks

The victim’s father, a resident of Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district, had moved the HC last week seeking permission for abortion.

The petition said that the girl was raped by a doctor whom she had visited for treatment of typhoid in February. The doctor administered her an injection of a sedative and raped her after she fell unconscious, it said.The police subsequently registered a case and arrested the doctor.

The girl’s father first approached the Himmatnagar sessions court seeking termination of her pregnancy, saying that she was in no position to take care of the child. But the session’s court rejected the petition as the pregnancy had crossed 20 weeks. Today, the High Court upheld the lower court’s ruling.

As compensation to the rejection of the father’s plea, the judge has directed the Sabarkantha district administration to take care of the victim and pay her an amount of Rs one lakh.

In April, in a similar case, the High Court had denied permission to terminate pregnancy of a rape victim from Botad town as the foetus was 28 weeks old.