A sting operation by social activist and lawyer Varsha Deshpande exposed the racket.
A court in Shirala taluka, Sangli, on Friday convicted two doctors and two agents for conducting sex determination tests.
The first class judicial magistrate, AS Tekale, sentenced Dr Yojana Vilas Raval (MBBS-DGO) to 2 years’ rigorous imprisonment and slapped her with a fine of Rs51,000, while Dr Yogendra Raghunath Shinde (MBBS) was awarded a punishment of 3 years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs21,000.
The agents, Prakash Anand Deokule, and Ankush Babasaheb Bobade, both residents of Tasgaon, were sentenced to 3 years’ rigorous imprisonment and were fined Rs11,000 each.
Shinde’s wife Dr Sampada Shinde (BAMS) was sentenced to 2 years’ rigorous imprisonment by an Islampur court for conducting similar tests, on December 16.
On August 31, 2007, social activist and lawyer Varsha Deshpande had conducted a sting operation by sending two pregnant women as decoy patients to Shinde’s hospital.
The women had approached Deokule who took them to Shinde’s hospital in Takari, Walva taluka. Sex determination test was conducted on one of the women at Shinde’s hospital, while the other was carried out at Dr Raval’s hospital in Shirala, which has better sonography machines.
Shinde took the woman to Raval’s hospital in his car. After confirming the sex of the foetus, Shinde advised the decoy patient to get an abortion done.
Deshpande’s colleague, lawyer Shaila Jadhav was in touch with the decoy patient and caught Shinde in Islampur, while they were returning to his hospital for the abortion.
In this case, the agents had accepted Rs10,000 from Jadhav.
Desphande told DNA that separate cases were filed in different courts against the Shindes.
“Half of this episode took place within the jurisdiction of Islampur court, which convicted Dr Sampada Shinde, while the other half took place within the jurisdiction of Shirala court, which convicted Dr Raval and Dr Yogendra Shinde on Friday. We are happy with the judgements,” she said.
On December 17, the Islampur court sentenced gynaecologist Dr Mohan Farne to 2 years’ rigorous imprisonment for carrying out sex determination tests. In this case also, Deshpande had conducted a sting operation by using decoy patients.
The convictions were as per the provisions of the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 2003.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}