'Deep-seated' bias for male child persists despite improving sex ratio, says Supreme Court

📌 Summary:

• The Supreme Court observed that although India's child sex ratio shows "clear signs of improvement", continued sex-selection reflects "deep-seated patriarchal preferences" for a male child
• A Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and P.K. Mishra made the remark while dismissing a Maharashtra doctor's appeal against criminal proceedings under the PCPNDT Act, 1994
• Reaffirms strict enforcement of the PCPNDT Act against sex-determination and pre-natal sex selection
• Underlines that legal/statistical gains in the sex ratio have not eliminated underlying son-preference and gender bias
• Links to wider efforts (e.g., Beti Bachao Beti Padhao) to tackle declining/skewed sex ratios and female foeticide

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 Society — patriarchy, son-preference and skewed sex ratio; GS2 — judicial enforcement of social-justice legislation (PCPNDT Act).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• PCPNDT Act = Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994
• The Act bans determination and communication of the sex of the foetus
• Child sex ratio = number of girls per 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group

🔑 Key Term: Child sex ratio — the number of females per 1,000 males in the 0-6 age group, a key indicator of son-preference and sex-selective practices.