By Mitu Khurana:
Mitu Khurana has been an activist, fighting against gender bias for the past many years. In this article, she tells us about the reality of gender bias and the revelations through an RTI application she had filed to inquire about sex determination and the skewed sex ration in India.
The cat is out of the bag. Everybody is expressing their shocks. I am not shocked at all. The sex ratio in the age group 0-6 years has dropped further. It was 927 females per 1000 males in 2001, and now it is down to 914 females per 1000 males.
This has brought the truth out in the open, a truth which I had been trying to shout over the rooftops but hardly anyone listened- the truth that government is not implementing the P.C-P.N.D.T Act meant to check sex determination. Our esteemed Chief Minister Smt Sheila Dixit had very proudly declared in 2008, that the sex ratios of Delhi have been reversed. She had very stated that in 2008, there were 1004 girls born for every 1000 boys. So where are those girls?
A study conducted had shown how the government of Delhi has even gone to the extent of violating the orders of Honorable Supreme Court in order to hide the facts. Supreme Court of India in CEHAT Vs U.O.I (Centre For Enquiry Into Health And Allied Themes (C.E.H.A.T) & Ors V. Union Of India & Ors [2003] Rd-Sc 444 (10 September 2003), had very clearly stated that any clinic found doing pre-natal tests without registration under the P.C-P.N.D.T Act had to prosecuted in the court of law. A reply given to a R.T.I. application (copy attached) showed how our government authorities were letting off such clinics and not filling any complaints.
Similarly the P.C-P.N.D.T Act is very clear on the fact that if records are not being maintained properly it amounts to sex determination and the case has to be filed in the court of law. The burden is upon the doctor conducting the ultrasound to prove that he has not conducted sex determination. Various clinics have been found where no records are kept properly and no court cases have been filed against them.
When the accused under the Act know that there will be no action against them and the government is there to save them, then they will continue the illegal activities.
National Support and Monitoring Cell gave a five month (15th May -14th October 06) activity report in October 2006 after analyzing the implementation of the act in various states. They found that in Delhi there was no list of the 81 complaints/prosecutions supposedly launched by the State Authorities. Court cases were supposedly launched only against 3 out of 35 unregistered establishments found during raids. There were no details available against the status of the cases in these 3 court cases also.
There were 46 more complaints in which the State Authorities were supposed to initiate action. Out of these 46, in 1 clinic registration has been canceled, in 1 clinic fine was imposed of Rs.15,000/- only. Court cases were launched against 19 cases, out of which 8 cases were later withdrawn at various stages. (Source- Five Month Activity Report of National Support and Monitoring Cell from 15th May -14th October 06.)
So the questions which need to be answered are that why the government is expressing its shock when the sex ratios have dipped? The questions which need to be asked are who is responsible for the decline in the sex ratios? The big question is WHO WILL BE ANSWERABLE TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS WHO WILL BEAR THE BRUNT OF OUR INACTION TODAY?
The following RTI applications were filed and the result is in front of you:
