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The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday asserted that it was once normal for girls to marry at a young age and deliver a child before they turned 17. The remarks came while the court was hearing a minor rape survivor's abortion plea, with the judge also asking the petitioner to ‘read the Manusmriti’. The petitioner is 16 years and 11 months old and carrying a seven-month-old foetus.
Her father had moved the HC seeking permission for abortion as the pregnancy had crossed the 24-week threshold that allows for abortion (without legal hassle). His lawyer had sought an early hearing on Wednesday asserting that the family was concerned because of the girl's age.
