Days after the Hyderabad High Court rapped authorities for failing to take action against a private nursing home in the city that was allegedly performing illegal abortions, the city police has now swung into action.
Police arrested three persons, including two doctors on Friday, who were part of the management of Gayathri Nursing Home at Saidabad.
The accused were identified as Dr Rachna Singh Thakur, her husband Dr Kiran Kumar, and Sarwari Unnisa, a supervisor.
Earlier this week, hearing a petition by one Sandeep Yadav, represented by his counsel SR Sanku, it was brought to the court's notice that the nursing home was promoting female foeticide. The petitioner also submitted video evidences to support his claim.
The videos were seen by a division bench comprising the Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K Vijaya Lakshmi, following which the court directed the authorities to ensure that the place was shut down until further orders.
Following a preliminary investigation by Hyderabad in-charge District Medical Health Officer, A Sarala, authorities said that the nursing home's licence will most likely be cancelled, as they performed the abortions without valid permission from the state government.
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).
The three accused who were arrested, have been sent to judicial remand. Meanwhile, the court earlier told the city police to file an action taken report (ATR) by April 17.
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