Pune: Amid a widening crackdown on illegal sex determination and abortion rackets in Maharashtra, a high-level regional review meeting chaired by Shiv Sena leader and Legislative Council member Neelam Gorhe will be held in the city on July 20 to review enforcement of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act across Pune, Satara, Solapur and Sangli districts.
Event Context
Police are still searching for two key accused — Dr Mandar Mali, who runs a private hospital in Kikvi village in Bhor taluka, and Dr Sundaram Kadam, who operates a private hospital in Uruli Kanchan. Both are absconding. Dr Mali has recently moved an anticipatory bail application before the court, said Santosh Tasgaonkar of Yavat police station, who is heading the SIT probing this case.
Match Outlook
The meeting has been convened by the Director of Health Services (Primary), Dr Vijay Kandewad, and will be attended by senior health officials, district surgeons, district health officers and municipal medical officers from the four districts.
The review meeting is important given the recent alleged organised sex determination racket that came to light in Kedgaon in Daund taluka in May 2026. The nexus was later found operating in Pune, Satara, Solapur and Sangli districts, said officials.
According to officials, the meeting will review the action taken so far, assess coordination among enforcement agencies and discuss measures to strengthen the implementation of the PCPNDT and MTP Acts. The meeting is also expected to focus on curbing the misuse of portable sonography machines, illegal abortion networks, online financial transactions and the role of middlemen allegedly operating across districts.
The issue was recently debated in the Maharashtra Legislative Council during the Monsoon Session under Rule 97, where Gorhe raised concerns over the ineffective implementation of the PCPNDT and MTP Act and inadequate coordination among various government departments. Several members supported the discussion and sought stricter enforcement against organised rackets involved in illegal sex determination and abortions.
“The cases reported from Pune, Solapur, Phaltan and other parts of the state indicate that these are not isolated offences but part of an organised network. Strong coordination among the health department, police and other enforcement agencies is essential to dismantle such rackets. Along with legal action, social awareness and community surveillance are equally important to improve the child sex ratio,” Gorhe said.
The case was registered at Yavat police station on May 20 after investigators uncovered an alleged network operating across Pune, Kedgaon, Solapur and Phaltan, where illegal prenatal sex determination tests and abortions were allegedly carried out over several months.
So far, nine persons, including five doctors, have been arrested. Those arrested have been identified as Annasaheb Giri, Dr Atul Ankush Jadhav, Narendra Sahebrao Thakare, Dr Sangeeta Pandurang Gaikwad, Sadichha Shinde, Amit Tengale, Sachin Kadam, Dr Sumant Tukaram Shitole and Bapurao Pandharinath Jamble.
