📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Prabhu parmar
Crime
Maharashtra task force urges MCOCA against illegal sex‑determination and abortion rings
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 08 Oct 2026, 07:45 AM
👁 13
A Maharashtra task force has recommended invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against individuals running illegal sex‑determination and abortion networks, according to The Times of India.
A task force appointed by the Maharashtra government has submitted a recommendation to apply the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to persons involved in illegal sex‑determination and abortion operations. The move aims to treat these activities as organized crime, allowing authorities to use the stringent provisions of MCOCA for investigation, prosecution and asset seizure.
The recommendation, reported by The Times of India, follows a series of investigations that uncovered networks facilitating prenatal sex‑selection and illegal abortions, practices that are prohibited under the Pre‑Conception and Pre‑Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. By invoking MCOCA, the task force seeks to deter the commercial exploitation of such services and strengthen legal deterrence.
Officials said the task force examined evidence of coordinated operations, financial links and the use of medical facilities to carry out the illegal procedures. They argued that the scale and organized nature of the racket warrant the application of anti‑organized crime legislation.
If approved, the recommendation could lead to the filing of MCOCA cases against doctors, clinic owners and intermediaries suspected of facilitating sex‑determination tests and unlawful abortions. The state government has not yet announced a timeline for implementing the proposal.
The recommendation, reported by The Times of India, follows a series of investigations that uncovered networks facilitating prenatal sex‑selection and illegal abortions, practices that are prohibited under the Pre‑Conception and Pre‑Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. By invoking MCOCA, the task force seeks to deter the commercial exploitation of such services and strengthen legal deterrence.
Officials said the task force examined evidence of coordinated operations, financial links and the use of medical facilities to carry out the illegal procedures. They argued that the scale and organized nature of the racket warrant the application of anti‑organized crime legislation.
If approved, the recommendation could lead to the filing of MCOCA cases against doctors, clinic owners and intermediaries suspected of facilitating sex‑determination tests and unlawful abortions. The state government has not yet announced a timeline for implementing the proposal.