BENGALURU: Three doctors of private diagnostic centres were arrested in KR Pet taluk of Mandya district, based on 12 FIRs after Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa summoned them in a suo motu complaint over conducting scans on pregnant minors without registering police complaints, as per the Pocso Act, and violating norms related to pregnant women.
Dr Divya Chethana of Chethana Maternity Centre, Dr Harshita YR of Navi Diagnostic Centre and Dr Harish of Kushal Diagnostic Centre were remanded in judicial custody. Dr Priyanka, doctor at a government hospital, is absconding, Justice B Veerappa told reporters on Tuesday.
Terming the acts of these doctors a heinous crime against society, Justice Veerappa said registration of 12 FIRs in KR Pet taluk alone is a cause for concern. An investigation is on into similar cases in six other taluks of Mandya district.
Acting on a tip-off that some private diagnostic centres and government hospital in KR Pet taluk were allegedly conducting sex determination tests leading to female foeticide, the Upa Lokayukta took up a suo motu case on April 16 against some officials of Nagamangala, Malavalli, Maddur, KR Pet, Pandavapura and Srirangapatna, and the Mandya District Health Officer (DHO).
The Upa Lokayukta summoned DHO K Mohan, Deputy Director of Women and Child Development Asha PS, District Child Protection Officer Rashmi, and directed them to visit diagnostic centres in Mandya district.
He issued a warrant to the Lokayukta police in Mandya, who with their counterparts in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara, in coordination with the three officials, searched nine places in KR Pet taluk.
MINORS UNDERGO SCANNING
In KR Pet taluk, scanning was conducted on pregnant minors aged below 18 in seven cases. In 84 cases, pregnant women aged between 18 and 20 under-went scanning without giving age proof, which is mandatory.
It was found that some gynaecologists of government hospitals benefited from private diagnostic centres by refe-rring pregnant women for various tests there, though it is necessary for them to refer such cases to higher gover-nment hospitals. They used the letterheads of private diagnostic centres while referring cases to them.
The search revealed that Navi Diagnostic Centre of KR Pet conducted 19 scans in 2024 and five in 2025, respect-ively, involving 24 pregnant minors in violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994. Dr Harshita of this centre did not report these cases to the police before scanning, as per Section 19 of the Pocso Act. ens