Jurisdictional Boundaries in PC-PNDT Act Enforcement: Supreme Court Clarifies Investigative Authority

However, the Court clarified that this does not imply a total exclusion of the police. The police are empowered to provide necessary assistance to the Appropriate Authority when requested, particularly in maintaining law and order or executing specific tasks during the course of an investigation. This judgment serves as a crucial check against the dilution of the Act’s specialized enforcement mechanism, preventing potential procedural lapses that could arise from the involvement of agencies not specifically trained or empowered under the PC-PNDT framework. For the administrative machinery, this necessitates better coordination between the health department’s Appropriate Authorities and local law enforcement to ensure that the legal sanctity of investigations is maintained, thereby strengthening the fight against gender-biased sex selection. UPSC Relevance: This development is highly relevant for GS Paper II (Statutory Bodies) and GS Paper I (Social Issues). Aspirants can cite this in answers concerning the efficacy of legislative interventions in addressing gender-based discrimination and the importance of maintaining the integrity of specialized regulatory frameworks in the Indian administrative system.