Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri: health officials in Mumbai are investigating reports that the Khans know the sex of a baby they are having through a surrogate mother.

 

Agencies/Mumbai

Officials said yesterday they were probing reports that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan knows he and his wife are expecting a baby boy, in a country where prenatal sex tests are banned.

Local media has in recent days reported that 47-year-old Khan and his wife Gauri, who have a teenage son and daughter, are expecting another son by surrogacy.

The couple, who live in the entertainment hub of Mumbai, are yet to confirm they are expecting.

On seeing the reports, the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA) wrote to the health ministry in Maharashtra, demanding an investigation.

“We want to know the truth, and if it is true how (the gender) came out and who told it,” Dr Jignesh Thakkar at the IRIA said.

“Whoever is responsible must be punished,” he added.

The state’s health ministry has told the Brihanmumabi Municipal Corporation to look into the matter, a senior official said.

India bans sex tests because of a preference for sons in the country, where aborting female foetuses or sex selection has led to an imbalance in the gender of newborns.

Traditionally, married women in India have faced huge pressure to produce male heirs who are seen as breadwinners, family leaders and carers when parents age.

The 1996 law, designed to prevent the use of ultrasound for prenatal sex tests, is thought to be widely flouted.

Media reports said BMC officials visited the actor’s mansion on Monday but he was not at home.

Sources say it is possible the media reports are inaccurate - or indeed that the couple had an ultrasound test legally in another country.

But the IRIA’s Thakkar said their concern is that India’s tough rules on revealing gender must be seen to apply to everyone, rich or poor.

“These rules are applicable to one and all… there cannot be one rule for the rich and one for ordinary people.”

Khan’s secretary was unavailable to talk.

“The state health directorate has asked the BMC’s health department to inquire into the media reports and initiate appropriate action if needed. The report is expected in three to four days,” Maharashtra Public Health Minister Suresh Shetty told the Hindustan Times newspaper.