THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE RAJA ELANGO CRIMINAL PETITION NO.8263 OF 2011 ORDER: The petitioner-accused No.2 preferred this Criminal Petition under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, seeking to quash the proceedings in Crime No.280 of 2011 on the file of the Station House Officer, Chaitanyapuri Police Station, Cyberabad, registered for the offences under Sections 22, 23 and 24 of the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1984 {“the Act” for brevity} and Rules 1996. The main contention raised by the learned counsel for the petitioner is that as per Section 28 of the Act, no Court shall take cognizance of an offence under the Act except on a complaint made by (a) the Appropriate Authority concerned, or any officer authorized in this behalf by the Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, or the Appropriate Authority; or (b) a person who has given notice of not less than “fifteen days” {Substituted for “thirty days” by Act 4 of 2003, w.e.f. 14.02.2003} in the manner prescribed, to the Appropriate Authority, of the alleged offence and of his intention to make a complaint to the Court. As far as the present case is concerned, the District Medical Authority lodged a complaint and the police registered the case. Under Section 28 of the Act, the District Medical Authority is not a competent authority to give complaint and the police have no power to investigate the matter. The complainant is at liberty if he is an authorized person to file a complaint before the competent Court. Hence, the present FIR in crime No.280 of 2011 on the file of the Station House Officer, Chaitanyapuri Police Station, Cyberabad, is hereby quashed. The Criminal Petition is accordingly allowed. _______________ (RAJA ELANGO, J) 12th September 2011 RRB