Under POCSO Act 2012 (amended 2019) and the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, a doctor examining a child for suspected sexual abuse must provide:

• A A detailed medical examination report documenting injuries and findings WITHOUT giving a definitive legal opinion on whether sexual assault occurred, as the latter is a court function ✓
• B A specific opinion on whether penetration occurred, which constitutes mandatory proof of the offence
• C A report only if the examination is requested by police — self-reporting by a doctor is not permitted
• D Blood group and DNA profiling of the child as the primary medico-legal service

Explanation

The medical examination role under POCSO and forensic guidelines is to document injuries objectively (anal/genital injuries, bruising, signs of healing, swabs for DNA), provide supportive treatment, arrange forensic specimen collection, and document the child's disclosure neutrally. The doctor must not state definitively whether sexual assault occurred — this is a legal-judicial determination. A normal examination does NOT exclude sexual abuse (most abused children have no injuries). The mandatory report goes to police under POCSO Section 21 (which mandates reporting within 24 hours); failure to report is an offence.

Reference: The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (Narayan Reddy), 34th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.