The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Centre on a petition challenging a law prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy in case of foetal abnormality.

The petition was filed challenging a Bombay High Court verdict which did not permit a woman to undergo abortion on such a ground.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan sought the response of the Government on the plea of Mumbai-based Dr Nikhil D Datar.

Datar was one of the petitioners along with the couple -- Niketa and Haresh Mehta -- in the High Court.

They had sought permission to abort Niketa's first child, as her doctor found out in the 24th week that the foetus had a heart block.

The High Court had on August 4, last year dismissed their petition, observing that medical experts did not express any "categorical opinion that if the child is born it would suffer from serious handicaps."