'Serious Lapse': Punjab Govt Pulls Up IAS Officer In IVF Row Involving Sidhu Moose Wala's Parents

The Punjab government on Thursday issued a show cause notice to Principal Health Secretary, IAS Ajoy Sharma after Sidhu Moose Wala's father claimed 'harassment' over the birth of his second child. 

Sidhu Moosewala's father with his second child

Source : PTI Images

The Punjab government issued a show cause notice to IAS Ajoy Sharma, Principal Health Secretary, on Thursday after Sidhu Moose Wala's father claimed 'harassment' regarding the birth of his second child. The state government has questioned why the matter was not brought to the attention of the Chief Minister or the Health Minister before an investigation.

The late singer Sidhu Moose Wala's parents gave birth to their second son last week, prompting the government to raise awareness about the age limit for In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) conception. Balkaur Singh, the singer's father, claimed that he had been "harassed" by district authorities for information about the child.

Last Saturday, nearly two years after their singer-son was fatally shot, the couple welcomed a child. Charan Kaur, 58, conceived the child using the IVF technique.

"However, you proceeded to act in the matter without bringing this issue to the notice of your Minister-in-charge and Hon'ble Chief Minister and without taking any orders from them," the government said in a notice. 

"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," the notice read further. 

In an Instagram video posted on Tuesday, Balkaur Singh asked the administration to end the treatment.

"The district is demanding that I provide documents about the child. I request that the government and the Chief Minister allow the treatment to end. I will show up whenever I am asked to. I assure you that I will present all legal documents," Singh stated.

Charan Kaur, the mother of Sidhu Moose Wala, received IVF treatment; the Union Health Ministry requested a report from the Punjab government last week. The age range for IVF was observed to be 21 to 50 years old.

"Under Section 21(g)(i) of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, the age limit prescribed for a woman going under ART Services is between 21-50 years," the letter went on to say.

Balkaur Singh also posted a photo of himself on Instagram last week, announcing the birth of his second child and stating that everyone in the family was fine.

On May 29, 2022, his older son, Sidhu Moose Wala, a singer-turned-politician, was shot and killed in Punjab's Mansa district.