A woman can be seen crushing something, and then pulling a foetus out of another woman's vagina, part by part.
This video was shot by someone in a secretive manner and submitted to the Hyderabad High Court in a case against a nursing home that has been accused of doing illegal abortions and female foeticides.
The video so horrific that it shocked the court.
On Tuesday, the HC rapped police authorities for failing to take action against a private nursing home in the city that has allegedly been performing illegal abortions.
The video was seen by a division bench comprising the Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K Vijaya Lakshmi, which was hearing a petition by Hyderabad resident R Sandeep Yadav.
Sandeep, represented by his counsel SR Sanku, accused Gayathri Nursing Home at Saidabad of promoting female foeticide and approached the High Court to take legal action against those involved in the racket.
The court sought to know what action had been taken and questioned the state government’s inaction against the nursing home’s management. On learning that the management of the home was yet to be detained in spite of the video evidence submitted by the petitioner, the court directed the authorities to ensure that the place was shut down until further orders.
Stating that it would issue an order to the Commissioner of Police if it was not satisfied, the court told the city police to file an action taken report by April 17.
During a previous hearing, the court had also notified the Medical Council of India, the Indian Medical Association, the Hyderabad Police Commissioner and the District Collector.
Speaking to TNM, Sandeep said, “I’m glad that the court has taken up the issue seriously. I have trust in the judicial system and I’m sure the guilty will be punished. The police must act swiftly.”
Sandeep had earlier alleged that many of the patients who visited the nursing home belonged to the ST community and generally wanted a baby boy. The doctor at the nursing home would then urge couples to do a sex determination test and a scan at a lab in the city’s Santosh Nagar area, before suggesting that they go ahead with an abortion.
Sandeep also alleged that the procedure was not conducted by a general surgeon or a gynaecologist but by an anaesthesiologist, a physician trained in anaesthesia.
Based on the court’s order, the police had earlier booked a case under the Medical sub-section 5 of the Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, including under sub-section (2) (Termination of pregnancy by a person who is not a registered medical practitioner).
However, the police are yet to make any arrests in the case.