Row over IVF availed by Moosewala's mother: Show cause issued to Punjab principal secretary, health

Chandigarh: The Punjab government has issued a show cause notice to the principal secretary, health, for not taking up the issue of the IVF treatment availed by slain singer Sidhu Moosewala's mother with the chief minister and the health minister.

Terming it as a 'serious lapse', the state government asked Ajoy Sharma, the principal secretary, health, to show cause within two weeks as to why proceedings under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969 should not be initiated against him.

The development came after Balkaur Singh, the father of Sidhu Moosewala, accused the Punjab government of harassing him over the birth of his second son.

"Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, sought a report from you regarding IVF treatment of Charan Kaur (Sidhu Moosewala's mother). In light of the provisions of Rules of Business, 1992 and given the significance of the issue involved, you were required to bring it to the notice of your minister-in-charge and chief minister and take their orders regarding further course of action," the notice stated.

"However, you proceeded to act in the matter without bringing this issue to the notice of your minister-in-charge and chief minister and without taking any orders from them," it read.

The notice further read, "This is a serious lapse on your part. Hence, you are asked to show cause within two weeks as to why proceedings under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969 should not be initiated against you," it further said.

Balkaur Singh and his wife Charan Kaur welcomed a baby boy on March 17, nearly two years after Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu alias Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district.

The couple had opted for the In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) method. Moosewala's father is aged around 60 while Kaur is 58 years old. The Union Health Ministry wrote to the state government on March 14, seeking details of Kaur's IVF treatment while citing a media report on her pregnancy.

S K Ranjan, Director, Department of Health Research under Health Ministry wrote a letter to the principal secretary, Health, Punjab which read, "Under Section 21 (g) (i) of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, the age limit prescribed for a woman going under assisted reproductive technology is 21-50 years. Therefore, you are requested to look into the matter and submit a report to this department of the action taken in this case as per the ART (Regulation) Act, 2021."

Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh on Wednesday had said it was the Centre that wrote to the state government on the matter and maintained that the AAP-led Punjab dispensation did not harass the family.