Female foeticide is religious crime, says Jain

Punjab Newsline Network

Saturday, 01 March 2008

CHANDIGARH: The Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Vijender Jain Saturday said that female foeticide was not only a legal crime but also a religious crime and it was the responsibility of everyone to completely eradicate this evil from the society. Chief Justice Jain was addressing the Legal Literacy Seminar on 'Eradication of Female Foeticide and Women Empowerment' jointly organized by the Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HSLSA) and Health department of Haryana Government at Narnaul. Chief Justice Jain, who is also the Chief Patron of the HSLSA, expressed his serious concern over the declining sex ratio and cautioned that if the people did not make it a voluntary public movement, the survival of the society would be at stake. Besides government efforts, he said that every one should take a pledge to work against the female foeticide. Haryana Health Minister, Kartar Devi gave details of various programmes launched by the present government in the state for the welfare and social security of girl child and empowerment of women. She also stated that there had been some improvement in the sex-ratio in many parts of the state, but it required more efforts and commitment to make the people conscious of the disastrous effects of widening gap of sex ratio. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel of the High Court, who is the Executive Chairman of HSLSA, said that around 36 lakh cases of female foeticide were being reported every year in India and this evil practice had to be curbed to save the society. He opined that because of the involvement of the father and mother in the cases of female foeticide, it becomes difficult sometimes to implement the law. The Irrigation Minister, Capt Ajay Singh Yadav praised the Chief Justice Jain for making the campaign against female foeticide a movement in Punjab and Haryana and said that the State Government was also not leaving any stone unturned to eradicate this evil and promote the interests of girl child and women. He also gave details of various incentives being given by the State Government for women education, their employment and social security. Justice L.N.Mittal of the High Court, District Sessions Judge M.P.Mahendiratta and DC Mrs Amneet P. Kumar also addressed the seminar. On the occasion, Chief justi ce Jain gave cash award of Rs one Lakh to village panchayat where the sex-ratio of male and female was 1000 : 1062. Justice S.K.Mittal, Justice TPS Mann, Justice Rajesh Bindal, Justic SD Anand, Justice A.N. Jindal, Justice Rakesh Kumar Garg, Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain & Justice K.S. Ahluwalia, Advocate General Haryana Hawa Singh Hooda, Radhey Shyam MLA and other Judicial and administrative officer were present on the occasion.