While dealing with a case concerning prenatal sex determination, a Delhi HC lashed out against the practice, calling it “nefarious”. The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act of 1994 makes it illegal to determine a foetus's gender before birth. This was put in place to prevent female foeticide, which is a terrible thing. The Judge cited the Supreme Court's decision in Voluntary Health Assn. of Punjab v. Union of India, (2013) 4 SCC 1, which stated that female foeticide is the most severe kind of dehumanisation of the human race. In this case, the defendants were accused of conducting an entire enterprise dedicated to prenatal sex determination. The court asserted that such practices have no place in India, citing laws banning the same and pointing at policies such as “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”.
