UP Man Jailed For Slitting Wife’s Womb To Check Baby’s Gender

The fast-track court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Saurabh Saxena punished a man with life imprisonment for slitting the womb of his 8-month pregnant wife.  On September 19, 2020, Panna Lal, 46, attacked his wife Anita Devi with a sickle in the Civil Lines region of Badaun district, Uttar Pradesh, to determine the gender of their child. According to primary sources, he was under the influence of a priest who informed him that his wife was expecting a girl.

Anita Devi and Panna Lal were married for 25 years and have five daughters.. However, her husband wished for a boy, so she became pregnant for the sixth time. According to Anita's brother Ravi Singh, Panna Lal was informed by a village priest that his wife was about to give birth to a daughter. Consequently, Panna Lal demanded Anita to abort the baby, but she keep on insisting on keeping the child. Ravi stated to TOI, "He'd often beat Anita but we never thought he'd take such an extreme step."

Finally, Panna Lal decided to cut open Anita's womb to determine the gender of the baby.

How Anita was Saved and Panna Lal was Arrested

Anita, injured, was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi by the Budaun police. Despite the doctors' efforts, they could only save Anita, not her unborn baby—a boy. Panna Lal faced charges under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent) and was jailed. A chargesheet was filed in 2021, leading to his sentencing to life imprisonment on Thursday.

As per an official statement, Public prosecutor Atul Singh said that Lal initially refused to accept his crimes, labelling them as accidental. However, the evidence submitted in court, including his wife's statement, proved him guilty. Singh added, "The court awarded him maximum punishment (life imprisonment) for the crime committed under section 307 (attempt to murder) considering the fact the crime was not committed against the individual victim but also against the society. The court observed the accused didn't have any fear of the law and slapped a cash fine of Rs 50,000 on him."

Anita's brother, although expressing his satisfaction over his former brother-in-law's conviction, highlighted how her sister has been denied a normal life as a result of his crimes, "We’re happy he got this punishment. Sadly, my sister is not yet able to live a normal life.”

Men are Responsible for the Sex of the Baby

The case once again exposes the dark reality of our society that still prefers male-child over female-child. The accused was so desperate to have a boy that he committed a crime no one could think about. Women in our society are frequently tortured for bearing female children. They are repeatedly impregnated until they give birth to a boy. But why does society fail to understand that a child's sex is determined by the man's chromosomes?

In January 2024, the Delhi High Court urged for societal education and said, "The genetic determination of the gender of the unborn child when the child is conceived, involves the combination of X and Y chromosomes, with females possessing two X chromosomes (XX) and males having one X and one Y chromosome (XY). According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the outcome of fertilisation depends on whether an unfertilised egg fuses with a sperm carrying an X or Y chromosome, resulting in the birth of a girl or boy, respectively.” 

Views expressed are the author's own.