Gujarat: Ex CM Suresh Mehta’s sister gets 22 days in jail for violating PNDT Act

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 500 on Dr Trivedi.

Former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta’s younger sister Dr Shobhna Trivedi was convicted by a court in Kutch district on Wednesday and sentenced to 22 days simple imprisonment for not submitting reports of ultrasonography procedures performed at her clinic to health officials in 2011.

The court of judicial magistrate (first class) BG Solanki in Mandvi taluka of Kutch found Dr Trivedi guilty under Rule 9 (8) of Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994. The sub-rule 8 of Rule 9 of PNDT Act makes it incumbent upon a gaynaecologist to furnish monthly report of ultrasonography procedures conducted at his/her clinic to the office of chief district health officer of respective district by 5th day of the following month. Such report is compilation of Form-F that a pregnant woman and her relatives fill up before undergoing ultrasonography procedure.

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However, Dr Trivedi, who used to run her clinic in Mandvi, did not submit reports for month of August and September in year 2011. Health officials of Kutch district filed a case against her the same year and the JMFC court delivered its verdict after almost four years.

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“Dr Trivedi’s defence was that she had gone abroad and therefore no sonography procedure was conducted at her clinic. Since no sonography was done, she said, no report was submitted. But according to provisions of PNDT Act, in such a scenario, a doctor has to submit a report of nil procedures. We had six witnesses and four documental evidence to prove our case. The court appreciated the evidence and convicted Dr Trivedi,” assistant public prosecutor Nitin Jogi said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 500 on Dr Trivedi. However, the magistrate granted Dr Trivedi stay on sentence for a month to allow her time to appeal against the verdict.

“Dr Trivedi had gone to America during those two months and therefore no ultrasonography was done at her clinic. Nor is there provision in Form-F to file a nil report. We shall challenge the verdict in District and Sessions Court of Bhuj,” an advocate for Dr Trivedi said.

Dr Trivedi, who is in her late 60s has stopped practicing medicine since.

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