Woman doctor nabbed for violating PC-PNDT Act

Chandigarh: A detective agency hired by the government to check practice of female feticide in the state conducted its first sting operation in Amritsar leading to arrest of a lady doctor today under Pre- Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act.

“A case was registered after a doctor at Bharat Hospital in Chheharta in Amritsar took Rs 15,000 from a decoy patient sent by the empanelled agency for sex-determination test,” Surjit Kumar Jyani, Health and Family Welfare Minister said.

The woman decoy visited Dr Shupla Sharma of Bharat Hospital yesterday and expressed intentions to abort the child in case it turns out to be a female foetus as she already had two daughters, he said.

Subsequent to the consent of the doctor, the money was handed over to the hospital, the minister added.

Meanwhile, under the supervision of Dr H S Bali, Director Health Services, a team led by Amritsar Civil Surgeon, accompanied by the decoy patient rushed to the hospital, and recovered the marked currency notes from the doctor, he said.

A written complaint by the Civil Surgeon was filed to the local police and a case under relevant sections of the Act was registered against Sharma.

Jyani said the doctor was arrested and produced in a court under the non-bailable and non-compoundable charges.

Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health, informed the department recently hired the detective agency to catch hold of the violators of the PC-PNDT Act