HC: misuse is no basis to ban silent observer

Ruling in favour of the installation of the Silent Observer in sonography machines, the Bombay high court on Tuesday rejected a review petition filed by the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA).

Ruling in favour of the installation of the Silent Observer in sonography machines, the Bombay high court on Tuesday rejected a review petition filed by the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA).

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The IRIA had filed a petition stating that the device is an infringement on the privacy of the woman and could be misused. The silent observer was introduced by the state in May 2010, as an attempt to improve the skewed sex ratio in the state. The scheme requires the installtion of the electronic device in sonography equipment, which enables government officials to keep track of patients undergoing sonography, including pregnant women.

Anita Bhatwani, the petitioner’s lawyer, submitted that it is not possible to segregate pictures of pregnant women, from those who are not pregnant. As a result, privacy of all women would be infringed upon, she argued.

A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice Roshan Dalvi said that misuse cannot be a ground for disallowing the device.