Jharkhand High Court has directed the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) director to constitute a medical board to examine a 19-year-old rape victim seeking abortion and give a report by September 12.

The victim is a tribal girl and visually challenged. According to the statement of the girl and her neighbours, she has been raped several times but could not identify the culprits because of her disability.

The court in its order on Thursday directed the RIMS director to constitute a medical board by Saturday to examine the petitioner “and to find out whether at this stage pregnancy can be terminated or not considering that the petitioner is in a vulnerable position.”

The high court also directed the RIMS director to communicate to the father of the petitioner the date fixed by the medical board for examining the petitioner. The report of the medical board shall be placed on record on September 12 and the next hearing of the criminal writ petition will be on September 13.

At the same time, the high court has directed the state government that arrangements should be made to shift the girl to a place where she can be looked after.

“The court has directed the department of women and child welfare, Ranchi deputy commissioner and district legal services authority (DLSA), Ranchi, to shift the girl in a safe place. It has asked the departments and the government to file an affidavit by September 12,” said Shailesh Poddar, legal counsel of the petitioner.

“The girl has been admitted to RIMS and the medical board has been constituted for examining the girl,” informed Poddar.

A medical examination done in the community health centre recently found that the victim was 28 weeks pregnant.

PUCL had in August appealed to the Ranchi deputy commissioner and DLSA for protection and medical care of the rape victim. “We came to know about the minor girl. She is completely blind, extremely poor and was a victim of rape in 2018. Her father is a rickshaw puller and is unable to take care of her,” PUCL secretary Shashi Sagar Verma told The Telegraph in August.

“Despite her disability, she wants to pursue her studies. She is under constant threat of being raped as she stays alone in the rickety house. Her mother had passed away several years back,” said Poddar.