Law Without Impact? Examining The Disconnect Between Legal Prohibitions And Persisting Gender Imbalance In India
- IJLLR Journal
- May 20
- 1 min read
Abdul Bahav, Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University
Ashutosh Mishra, Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University
ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of “missing girls” in India represents a persistent demographic and human rights crisis, despite a robust statutory framework aimed at prohibiting gender-biased sex selection. This paper critically examines the disconnect between legal prohibitions particularly under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 and the continuing imbalance in the sex ratio. It argues that while the legislative architecture is comprehensive, its effectiveness is undermined by systemic implementation failures, socio-cultural biases, weak enforcement mechanisms, and administrative inefficiencies. The study adopts a socio- legal approach to analyze the interplay between law and entrenched patriarchal norms, highlighting the limitations of criminal law as a tool for social transformation. By evaluating judicial responses, policy interventions, and statistical trends, the paper proposes reforms aimed at bridging the gap between law and lived realities, ensuring substantive gender justice.
Keywords: Missing girls, PCPNDT Act, gender imbalance, sex ratio, implementation deficit, female foeticide, socio-legal analysis.
