The DNA sample of the man accused of raping his 10-year-old niece in Chandigarh did not match that of the baby born out of the sexual assault, the Hindustan Times reported on Wednesday. The girl, who got pregnant after her uncle allegedly raped her repeatedly, delivered the baby at a hospital in Chandigarh on August 17 after the Supreme Court denied her abortion plea at 32 weeks on July 28.
“At this moment, I can only say that the DNA of the accused does not match that of the newborn,” Manjeet Singh, the uncle’s lawyer, had said on Tuesday.
Senior Superintendent of the Chandigarh Police Nilambari Jagdale will speak to the 10-year-old girl along with officials of the Social Welfare Department and counsellors, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. The Supreme Court will take up the matter on September 22 and a local court on Friday.
“All aspects of the DNA report, which was submitted in a local court, are being verified, and there are chances that we will again discuss this topic with DNA experts in the Central Forensic Science Laboratory,” an unidentified official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
The 10-year-old had approached the Supreme Court after a Chandigarh district court, on July 18, had refused to allow her to abort her six-month-old foetus on the grounds that it would put her health and life at risk.
Indian law allows abortion of foetuses up to 20 weeks old, but courts can make exceptions in case abnormalities are detected in the foetus or if going through with the pregnancy would put the mother’s life in danger.
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