Indian-origin doctor cleared over circumcision of baby in the UK

An Indian-origin doctor from the East Midlands region of England who was arrested for allegedly circumcising a baby boy without his mother's consent has been released without charge. Dr Balvinder Mehat, a general practitioner (GP), was accused of carrying out a nontherapeutic circumcision, or a procedure for religious rather than medical reasons, on the three-month-old baby four years ago. "The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) deemed that there would be no realistic prospect of conviction," Nottinghamshire Police said, adding that they had "thoroughly investigated the incident." The baby’s paternal grandmother, believed to belong to the Muslim faith, had taken the baby to Mehat’s surgery in Nottingham for the procedure in July 2013, reports PTI.

The 61-year-old GP told the police when he was arrested back in June this year that he believed the mother had consented. The police had also arrested the boy's father and paternal grandmother on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, but they were released without charge as well. In a letter to the boy’s mother outlining its decision, the CPS said that had Mehat performed the operation knowing the mother did not consent, his actions may have amounted to an assault. “He may have failed in his professional obligations to discuss the issue of consent with you. But that in itself is not sufficient for there to be a criminal prosecution," it noted.

The boy's parents are separated and the procedure took place when he was with his father’s family.