VINOD SONI Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By this petition, the petitioners who are married couple, seek to challenge the constitutional validity of Preconception and prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act of 1994 (hereinafter referred to Sex Selection Act of 1994). The petition contains basically two challenges to the enactment. First, it violates Article 14 of the constitution and second, that it violates Article 21 of the Constitution of India. At the time of argument, the learned counsel appearing for the petitioners submitted that he does not press his petition insofar as the challenge via Article 14 of the Constitution of India is concerned.

(2.) We are, therefore, required to consider the challenge that the provisions of Sex Selection Act of 1994 are violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of india, Article 21 reads thus :

(3.) This provision of Article 21, according to the learned counsel has been gradually expanded to cover several facets of life pertaining to life itself and personal liberties which an individual has, as a matter of his fundamental right. Reliance was placed on several judgments of the Supreme Court of India to elaborate the submission regarding expansion of right to live and personal liberty embodied under Article 21, in our opinion, firstly we deal with protection of life and protection of personal liberty. Insofar as protection of life is concerned, it must of necessity include the question of terminating a life. This enactment basically prohibits termination of life which has come into existence. It also prohibits sex selection at pre conception stage. The challenge put in nutshell is that the personal liberty of a citizen of India includes the liberty of choosing the sex of the offspring. Therefore he, or she is entitled to undertake any such medicinal procedure which provides for determination or selection of sex, which may come into existence after conception. The submission is that the right to personal liberty extends to such selection being made in order to determine the nature of family which an individual can have in exercise of liberty guaranteed by Article 21. It in turn includes nature of sex of that family which he or she may eventually decided to have and/or develop,