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2026 Supreme(Online)(Raj) 13863
HIGH COURT OF RAJASTHAN (JAIPUR BENCH)
Praveer Bhatnagar, J
Avdhesh Pandey – Appellant
Versus
State Of Rajasthan – Respondent
S.B. Criminal Miscellaneous Bail Application No. 16687/2025
For the Appellants/Petitioners: Pankaj Gupta, Meeta Pareek, Saurabh Yadav, Harshit Bhatt
For the Respondents: Onkar Singh Rajpurohit
Under the PCPNDT Act, 1994, police officers lack legal authority to register an FIR. Offences can only be prosecuted via a complaint filed by the appropriate authority as mandated under Sections 27 and 28; an arrest based on an improperly registered FIR is legally unsustainable, entitling the accused to bail.
Headnote:(A) Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 - Sections 27 and 28 - Registration of FIR by Police - Authority to lodge complaint - Held, police officers do not have the authority to register an FIR for offences under the Act; only the appropriate authority is empowered to file a complaint for cognizance by the court. (Para 8)
(B) Bail Application - Illegal arrest - Effect of FIR registration by unauthorized officer - When the arrest of the accused is based on an FIR registered contrary to the specific provisions of the governing Act (precluding police from registering FIRs), the accused is entitled to the benefit of bail. (Paras 4, 8, and 9)
Facts of the case:
An application for regular bail was filed by the accused, who was arrested by the police following a decoy operation where he was allegedly caught performing a sex determination test. The police registered an FIR and proceeded against the accused under the PCPNDT Act, 1994, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Findings of Court:
Following the precedent established by the Rajasthan High Court, the court observed that police officers lack the jurisdiction to register an FIR under Section 27 and 28 of the PCPNDT Act. Since the arrest was based on an FIR registered by an unauthorized authority, the court deemed the detention contrary to law.
Issues: Whether the police are empowered to register an FIR under the PCPNDT Act and whether an arrest based on such an FIR warrants the grant of bail.
Ratio Decidendi: Police officers are barred from registering an FIR under the PCPNDT Act, as the statute specifically designates the appropriate authority for filing complaints. Consequently, an arrest rooted in an invalid FIR registration constitutes a violation of legal procedure, justifying the grant of bail.
Result: Bail granted.
Order
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