The Tamil Nadu Director of Medical and Rural Health Services on April 21 issued a show cause notice to popular flood vlogger Irfan for violating certain provisions of the Pre-Conception and Pre–Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994. He had disclosed the gender of his to-be-born baby at a function and uploaded a video of the same.
A similar notice has been sent to him on behalf of the State-level authority for the implementation of the PCPNDT Act. Moreover, a direction has been issued to the Tamil Nadu Police’s Cyber Crime unit to remove the video clipping uploaded by him on social media, a release said.
Mr. Irfan’s pregnant wife underwent a scan in Dubai from which they got to know the fetal gender. He announced the fetal gender to his relatives at a function which was made public through a video he had uploaded on May 19. Pointing out that announcing the fetal gender was banned under PCPNDT Act, 1994, the official release contended: “Due to such actions, the female sex ratio would go down not only in Tamil Nadu but in the national scenario. Moreover, there are chances that offences against women would increase.”
The release from the Health and Family Welfare Department warned of legal action against individuals, scan centres and hospitals, who find out the fetal gender and announce it.
An informed source said: “Though the gender test was undertaken in Dubai, the video clipping is in Tamil and so many people have seen it and has given an impression among some of the womenfolk that it is normal to know the fetal gender. This is against the spirit of the provisions of the Act.”
Asked if the action would continue, as Mr Irfan announced on Tuesday that he has withdrawn the video clipping, the source said: “Anyway, he has to reply to the show cause notice.”
The legislation was enacted to eradicate female foeticide and for maintaining the high level juvenile sex ratio and male and female ratio. State, district and taluk-level advisory committees have been formed for effective implementation of the Act.
Over 8,200 scan centres and 195 ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) Clinics / centres are registered under the purview of PCPNDT Act, 1994 for monitoring and preventing the misuse of Technologies for gender biased sex selection, as of March last year. A total of 155 cases have been filed against scan centres for the violation of PCPNDT Act, 1994 as of March, 2023.
Published - May 22, 2024 01:15 am IST
