Orissa High Court allows rape survivor for termination of pregnancy

Bhubaneswar: In a landmark decision, the Orissa High Court today granted permission to a rape survivor for the termination of her pregnancy and conduct DNA test of the foetus.

According to reports, the petitioner was raped by her brother-in-law last year. Following this, she lodged a complaint at the Rourkela Women Police Station. After registering it as a Zero FIR, the Rourkela Women Police transferred the case to Binjharpur Police Station for further investigation.

It is only during a medical test on November 24, 2025, the rape survivor got to know that she was pregnant and by then it was 13 weeks. When she moved the Orissa High Court, her pregnancy had reached approximately 21 weeks and four days.

However, taking a serious note of the victim’s physical and mental health, the court permitted her for termination of the pregnancy within two weeks as per the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act and conduct the DNA test of the foetus.