Raped teen and unborn child can be part of our family, accused’s parents tell HC
The Rajasthan high court had earlier rejected the victim’s plea to terminate the foetus because it was 21 weeks old, seven days more than the specified ceiling for medical abortion, and ordered the accused’s parents to appear before it on August 1.
The parents of a man accused of raping and impregnating a 17-year-old girl told the Rajasthan high court on Tuesday that they were willing to accept the survivor as their daughter-in-law and her unborn infant as their grandchild.
“We are willing to treat the girl as our son’s wife and her child as our grandchild. We will maintain them to the best of our capabilities,” read an affidavit submitted by the parents of the accused, Shiv Lal, in court. Lal has been remanded in prison pending trial.
The high court had earlier rejected the victim’s plea to terminate the foetus because it was 21 weeks old, seven days more than the specified ceiling for medical abortion, and ordered the accused’s parents to appear before it on August 1.
A division bench of justices Gopal Krishna Vyas and Manoj Kumar Garg asked the victim’s counsel to take the affidavit into consideration, and file a counter-view if required.
The girl was 14 years old when Lal allegedly kidnapped and raped her. The girl’s mother later filed a habeas corpus petition, seeking her release from the accused’s custody. When Bhilwara police “rescued” the victim and presented her before the court on June 5, the prosecution revealed that she was pregnant with the accused’s child.
The court sought a medical report on the girl, and sent her to a government home in Ajmer. Meanwhile, the victim moved an application to seek termination of pregnancy – a request that was later rejected.