Supreme Court Urges Centre to Remove Pregnancy Termination Time Limit for Minor Rape Victims

April 30, 2026

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday urged the Centre to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act to remove the upper gestational limit for termination of pregnancies involving minor rape survivors, observing that many such victims realise their pregnancy only after the legal deadline has passed.

“Please amend your law so that in cases of unwanted pregnancy on account of rape of a minor girl, the time limitation will not be there,” the Bench orally told the center.

During the hearing, the bench also said that laws should be strengthened to ensure faster trials in child rape cases.

The remarks came while the Court declined to entertain a plea by AIIMS challenging an earlier order permitting termination of the 15-year-old survivor’s pregnancy. The Bench observed that the final decision on whether to continue or terminate the pregnancy rests with the minor survivor and not the hospital.

Under the current MTP Act, abortion is generally permitted up to 20 weeks and up to 24 weeks for certain categories, including rape survivors and minors. Beyond that, termination is typically allowed only in limited exceptional circumstances.