Be considerate towards single, pregnant girls: HC

New Delhi, Jul 14: After Supreme Court's landmark orders and observations such as the nod to live-in relationships and assertion that pre-marital sex is not an offence, the Delhi High Court has now asked educational institutions to be more considerate of single pregnant students when it comes to attendance.

The High Court's observation came when it was hearing two petitions of two pregnant Law Faculty students, who were short of attendance.

Even though both the women, who filed the petitions, were married, the court took it a step further by suggesting that educational institutions should treat pregnancies of single women also with respect.

Recalling the apex court's landmark judgments, Justice Kailash Gambhir said,"The Supreme Court has given liberty to live-in relationships and it has held that pre-marital sex isn"t an offence."

On the claims of the petitioners that the Delhi University (DU) had rubbished their contention that they were short on attendance due to their pregnancies, the court asked the DU as well as Bar Council of India to formulate rules for pregnant LLB students allowing them relaxation in attendance.

"If any woman candidate is deprived or detained in any of the semesters just on the ground that she could not attend classes being in advanced stage of pregnancy or due to delivery, such an act would not only be completely in negation of the conscience of the Constitution but also of women"s rights and gender equality this nation has long been striving for," the court observed.

OneIndia News