In A week, the Capital will get two specialised shelters for destitute pregnant women. Stating that it cannot remain a “silent spectator” to the plight of such women, the Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, directed the state government to create two such centres in the city and equip them with adequate medical facilities in a week’s time.
Looking into a report concerning the death of a pregnant woman after she gave birth on the streets, Chief Justice Dipak Misra refused to entertain the government’s claim that it already has seven other centres that could attend to such cases. He asked Najmi Waziri, the standing counsel for the state government, to create exclusive homes for them. “We cannot remain silent spectators, waiting for the government to move at a tortoise’s pace and allow destitute pregnant women to die on the streets of Delhi. Such a situation cannot be countenanced, and cannot be visualised, in view of the fundamental right to life and liberty,” said Justice Misra.
