# MP High Court sits on Diwali break, allows 26-week abortion for rape survivor 2026-11-08T23:26:55+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Madhya Pradesh High Court on Saturday, 7 November, held a special hearing during the Diwali vacation to allow a 14-year-old rape survivor from Shivpuri to terminate a 26-week pregnancy. Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke’s bench directed senior doctors to complete the procedure by 4 pm the same day, saying every day is precious in such cases. The court issued fresh guidelines for all courts in the state handling abortion petitions in rape and other sensitive cases. Lower courts must now obtain a clear medical board report stating the survivor’s physical condition, exact gestation, and whether termination is medically safe. The first report from the medical board at GR Medical College and Kamlaraja Hospital was unclear, prompting the court to seek a second opinion before granting permission. The high court has ordered copies of its directive sent to all district courts and the benches in Jabalpur, Indore and Gwalior. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both Dainik Bhaskar and Amar Ujala report the same core event: the Madhya Pradesh High Court hearing a rape survivor’s abortion plea during the Diwali break. Dainik Bhaskar leads with the 14-year-old victim’s 26-week pregnancy and the urgency expressed by the court, quoting the judge that every day is precious. Amar Ujala leads with the broader directive issued to all courts in the state, emphasising the mandatory clear medical board report before cases are forwarded. The two outlets agree on all facts: the bench was Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke, the hearing was on 7 November, and the procedure was to be completed by 4 pm that day. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - bhaskar.com (neutral report) Leads with victim's age and gestation, highlights urgency of holiday hearing - amarujala.com (neutral report) Leads with statewide directive on medical board reports This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: abortion rape survivor, Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke, Madhya Pradesh High Court, Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, Shivpuri Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mp-high-court-sits-on-diwali-break-allows-26-week-abortion-for-rape-survivor/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mp-high-court-sits-on-diwali-break-allows-26-week-abortion-for-rape-survivor/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/