Govt orders probe into sex test complaint against Shah Rukh

State public health minister Suresh Shetty has directed the civic body to examine allegations of foetal sex-determination levelled against Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. HT reports.

State public health minister Suresh Shetty has directed the civic body to examine allegations of foetal sex-determination levelled against Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.

The accusations came after reports in the media stated Khan had opted for a third child through surrogacy, and that the child was male.

Based on these reports, Varsha Deshpande, who runs an NGO that has been conducting sting operations to nab doctors involved in illegal sex determination, and the umbrella body of radiologists in the state, Indian Radiologist and Imaging Association, sent a complaint to the government, questioning if the superstar had opted for pre-natal sex determination.

The Pre Conception Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act disallows sex determination of foetus in India.

"The state health directorate has asked the BMC’s health department to inquire into the media reports and initiate appropriate action. The report is expected soon," Shetty said.

An officer from the civic health department said, "In Mumbai, the BMC is the competent authority to act on such complaints. The (media) reports have not quoted anyone on record saying the child is a baby boy, and it will thus be difficult to probe the allegations."

The officer said the case will become trickier if the surrogate mother was a foreigner, or residing abroad.

An officer of the civic health department said, “In Mumbai, the BMC is the competent authority to act on such complaints. The (media) reports have not quoted anyone on record saying the child is a baby boy, and it will thus be difficult to probe the allegations.”

The officer said the case would become trickier if the surrogate mother was a foreigner, or residing abroad.

The actor was away when BMC health officials visited Khan’s bungalow on Monday. “The actor is not in the city. Our team spoke to his manager, who said the actor has not spoken to anyone in the media about surrogacy,” said Dr Arun Bamne, executive health officer, BMC.

The officials also visited the south Mumbai hospital, which according to Deshpande had commissioned the surrogacy.