In Brief
A 66-year-old gynaecologist, a paediatrician, and a hospital administrator were charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for failing to report when they attended to a minor rape victim in labour. The Supreme Court quashed the proceedings, holding that Section 19 of the Act requires actual knowledge of the crime, not deduced suspicion. Since the victim arrived at hospital for the first time during labour without anyone disclosing the rape, and the professionals were unaware of any offence, they could not be prosecuted for non-reporting. Mere circumstantial inference from the victim's age and pregnancy state does not create criminal liability.
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