Bombay HC grants interim bail to woman accused of forging her husband's will

The Bombay High Court HC has granted interim bail to 61yearold Hemalata Shah accused of forging her late husbandrsquos will stating that her arrest and custody were unnecessaryAs per PTI Justice Milind Jadhav took up the matter for an urgent hearing on Saturday evening and found a prima facie case for granting bail Bombay HC also noted that Shah suffers from diabetes high blood pressure cholesterol issues and other ailmentsThe case filed by her late husbandrsquos former business partner alleges that Shah forged the will to claim his properties However the Bombay HC bench observed that the will had already been probated by the high court in 2020According to Shahrsquos plea a nonbailable warrant was issued against her on March 27 and she was arrested the very next day She was initially remanded to oneday police custody and then sent to judicial custody until April 11 Following this she moved the Bombay HC reported PTIJustice Milind Jadhav criticised the magistratersquos court calling its handling of the case ldquoshockingrdquo He noted that Shah was placed in police custody for a day despite no such request being made The bench also stated that since the allegedly forged will had already been probated by the HC the magistrate should not have revisited the forgery allegationsIn my opinion in the aforementioned delineated facts custody of the applicant is completely unwarranted the HC stated according to PTIThe court while granting the woman interim bail asked her to cooperate with the police in its probeBombay HC permits 32yearold woman to terminate 26week pregnancy due to foetal anomaliesThe Bombay High Court HC has granted permission to a 32yearold woman to terminate her 26week pregnancy at a private hospital of her choosing citing her fundamental rights to reproductive freedom bodily autonomy and personal choiceA division bench consisting of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale ruled in favour of the petitioner allowing the medical termination of pregnancy MTP to proceed provided the chosen hospital submits an affidavit affirming its compliance with all legal requirements under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy MTP ActAccording to PTI the MTP Act prohibits termination beyond 24 weeks in private hospitals unless expressly permitted by the court The high court in its order dated 28 March statedConscious of the petitionerrsquos right to reproductive freedom her autonomy over her own body and her right to choice and having considered the medical condition of the petitioner we permit the petitioner to terminate the pregnancy medicallyThe decision of the Bombay HC came after the womanrsquos plea sought to ensure that the termination procedure included foetal heartbeat reduction to prevent the baby from being born alive The bench however directed the staterun JJ Hospitalrsquos medical board to provide an expert opinion on the most appropriate method for carrying out the terminationThe petitioner a Mumbai resident had requested to undergo the procedure at a private hospital Her legal counsel advocate Meenaz Kakalia argued that as long as the chosen medical facility met the requirements outlined in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Amended Rules the termination could be conductedAccording to PTI the petitioner discovered a foetal anomaly during a Foetal Echocardiography scan at approximately 24 weeks of pregnancy The scan revealed skeletal dysplasia a severe condition associated with significant morbidity A medical board at J J Hospital had previously assessed the case and approved the termination based on the foetal conditionKakalia referred to a guidance note issued by the Union of India under the MTP Act which stipulates that foetal heartbeat cessation should be conducted to prevent live birth in such cases She further informed the court that Maharashtra had adopted these guidelinesThe Bombay HC noted that as per the rules the recommendation for foetal heartbeat cessation must be explicitly stated in the medical boardrsquos report However the report submitted by JJ Hospital did not specify a method for termination particularly concerning foetal heartbeat reductionGiven this omission the bench requested JJ Hospitalrsquos medical board to submit an opinion within two days offering guidance on the most suitable method to conduct the terminationConsidering that the pregnancy is at an advanced stage we deem it appropriate to request the medical board of the staterun J J Hospital to give its opinion to the medical practitioner concerned within two days the court statedWith inputs from PTI