HC grants bail to doctor couple held in 2018 for illegal abortion

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court last week granted bail to a doctor couple, booked for performing an abortion illegally, on the condition that they will not operate their hospital at Akluj in Solapur district.

Justice NW Sambre ordered Dr Anand Doshi and his wife Dr Jayashri to be released on a personal bond of ₹15,000 each and a couple of sureties worth the same amount.

The Doshis were granted bail on the condition of submitting an undertaking to the additional sessions judge at Malshiras assuring they will not operate their hospital where the alleged abortion was performed. They have also been asked not to enter Solapur, except when attending the trial.

The alleged wrongdoings by the Doshis came to light on June 9, 2018, after a woman was

admitted to a private hospital at Akluj in a critical condition.

The hospital head informed the medical superintendent of sub-rural hospital (a government hospital), Akluj, that the woman was subjected to an abortion at Anand Maternity and Surgical Nursing Home and was bleeding profusely since. On June 11, the medical superintendent inspected the hospital run by the Doshis and found non-compliance of statutory requirement of maintaining records of the patients undergoing abortions. He also discovered the hospital did not have permission to perform abortions.

Acting on his complaint, Velapur police booked the Doshis under sections 312, 315, 201, 212 and with 34 of the Indian Penal Code and section 5 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. The couple was arrested on June 21, 2018.

The judge granted bail citing that most sections invoked against the Doshis booked were bailable and they had been in jail for the past seven months. The court also took into consideration that investigation in the case was complete and a charge sheet was filed against the two.