A woman approached Kerala High Court accusing her husband and his family of torture for not being able to conceive a baby boy. She sought action against her in-laws under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994.
According to the woman’s petition, she was handed over a ‘detailed instructed note’ on the eve of her marriage back in 2012, explaining the steps to conceive a baby boy since they believed that a girl child is a ‘financial burden’.
In 2014, she gave birth to a baby girl and has been facing harassment by her in-laws, she alleged.
“The note contained explicit instructions dealing with the exact manner and time to perform sexual intercourse to ensure a 95 per cent chance of conceiving not just any boy, but a ‘good boy child’. The groom and his family emphasised that the petitioner had to follow the instructions in the note as they believed that girls were always a financial burden…” the petition stated.
Expressing disbelief, Justice Devan Ramachandran said he was shocked that such things could happen in this day and age in a state like Kerala, where the literacy rate is 100 per cent.
Taking the woman’s petition into consideration, the High Court ordered the Director of Pre-Natal Diagnostic Division and Additional Director (Family Welfare) to investigate the matter.
