Supreme Court Contempt Proceedings against AIIMS
The Supreme Court on 30 May 2026 issued a notice in a contempt petition alleging that AIIMS, New Delhi, had not complied with its earlier order permitting the termination of a 30‑week pregnancy of a 15‑year‑old girl.
Key Developments
- Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the Principal Secretary of Health, the Secretary of Health, and the Director of AIIMS to appear via video conference on 4 May 2026.
- The Court warned that failure to comply would lead to framing of contempt charges.
- The original order dated 24 April 2026 allowed termination beyond the statutory limit of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.
- AIIMS challenged the order through a review petition (dismissed) and later filed a curative petition, which the Court refused to entertain.
Important Facts
- The pregnancy resulted from a consensual relationship between two minors; the girl explicitly expressed her unwillingness to continue.
- The Court held that forcing a woman, especially a minor, to carry a pregnancy violates Article 21 and would cause grave mental, emotional and physical trauma.
- The Union of India, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that termination at 30 weeks endangers both mother and fetus and suggested adoption via the Central Adoption Resource Authority.
- The Court rejected the adoption‑only approach, emphasizing that the woman's informed choice is paramount.
- AIIMS doctors may counsel the girl and share medical reports, but the institution cannot return to the Court to press its own p