High Court Slams Police Over Identity Disclosure Pressure

The Bombay High Court has criticized police for pressing doctors to disclose the identities of minor girls seeking pregnancy termination, in violation of a Supreme Court directive. This judgment allows a gynecologist to perform the procedure without revealing the girl's identity, highlighting the need to avoid harassment of minors and medical professionals.

Devdiscourse News Desk | Mumbai | Updated: 30-07-2025 15:38 IST | Created: 30-07-2025 15:38 IST

High Court Slams Police Over Identity Disclosure Pressure — This image is AI-generated and does not depict any real-life event or location. It is a fictional representation created for illustrative purposes only.

Country:
India

The Bombay High Court has criticized police actions that force doctors to reveal the identities of minor girls looking to terminate pregnancies, in contravention of a Supreme Court directive that such information should not be demanded.

A bench led by Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale on July 28 declared that this pressure from police constitutes harassment for both the minors and the healthcare providers involved.

The case arose after a city-based gynecologist petitioned for permission to perform a medical procedure without disclosing the girl's personal information. Citing a 2022 Supreme Court ruling, the gynecologist's legal advisor, Meenaz Kakalia, argued against unnecessary identity disclosure. Highlighting the SC's guidance, the High Court permitted the pregnancy termination while rejecting police insistence on revealing names. The court ordered circulation of the SC directive across Maharashtra police stations for compliance.

(With inputs from agencies.)