The accused lived near the girl’s house and worked with her father. (Representational image) The accused lived near the girl’s house and worked with her father. (Representational image)

The Charkop police Friday arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl earlier this year. The accused, who lived near the girl’s house and worked with her father, was produced before court and remanded in police custody till August 16.

The 13-year-old was found to be 27-weeks pregnant when her parents took her to a doctor for what they thought was obesity. She was admitted at JJ hospital on Friday. According to a doctor, her examination and DNA analysis were conducted and she was admitted in the gynaecology ward. She will require further counseling, the doctor said.

According to lawyer Sneha Mukherjee, who is going to file a petition for abortion on the girl’s behalf on Monday, there are at least three other cases in Supreme Court where women are seeking abortion permission post 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act caps the limit for abortion at 20 weeks, though a petition has been filed to amend this.

So far, the SC has passed orders in nine cases, approving or denying permission to terminate pregnancy depending on the number of weeks the woman is pregnant.

Experts argue that in cases where pregnancy has advanced beyond 24 weeks, induced labour to terminate the foetus may lead to live birth or premature delivery. “We are in the process of filing three more petitions for abortion this week,” Mukherjee added.

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