Supreme Court Considers Supposed Child-Swapping Case.
01-September-2025
Special Leave Petition >> Criminal Law
The Supreme Court recently heard an appeal of Usha Singh & Anr. Vs The State of Chhattisgarh & Ors. made by a couple asserting that their newborn son was exchanged at a private hospital. The Court started by condoning the delay in lodging the case to permit the case to go forward.
Pursuant to the returns filed on behalf of the petitioners, the High Court had rejected their grievance without adequately considering whether proper investigation was made. The main issues concerned were:
- Whether Petitioner No. 1, Usha Singh, had actually given birth to a boy and a girl in the hospital.
- Whether the DNA test conducted validated the parentage of the two children.
The petitioners asserted that Usha Singh had delivered a boy and a girl. But subsequently, she was returned two girls instead. Suspicion had arisen, and when a DNA test was performed, it is said to have indicated that one of the girls was genetically related to the couple but not the other. It was on the basis of such evidence that the petitioners claimed that the incident was a clear case of child swapping.
Their argument was that, in these conditions, a thorough inquiry should have been called for rather than the High Court rejecting the case in limine. The petitioners highlighted the fact that the issue needed to be properly examined to do justice.
Realizing the gravity of the charges, the Supreme Court held that the case had to be rightly considered. The Court issued notices to the respondents and asked them to respond within four weeks.