17. Appropriate Authority and Advisory Committee.- 1. The Central Government shall appoint, by
notification in the Official Gazette, one or more Appropriate Authorities for each of the Union
territories for the purposes of this Act.
2. The State Government shall appoint, by notification in the Official Gazette, one or more Appropriate Authorities for the whole or part of the State for the purposes of this Act having regard to
the intensity of the problem of pre-natal sex determination leading to female foeticide.
3. The officers appointed as Appropriate Authorities under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall be,—
(a) when appointed for the whole of the State or the Union territory, consisting of the following
three membersi) an officer of or above the rank of the Joint Director of Health and Family WelfareChairperson;
ii) an eminent woman representing women’s organization; and
iii) an officer of Law Department of the State or the Union territory concerned:
Provided that it shall be the duty of the State or the Union territory concerned to constitute multimember State or Union territory level Appropriate Authority within three months of the coming into
force of the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Amendment Act,
2002:
Provided further that any vacancy occurring therein shall be filled within three months of that occurrence.
(b) when appointed for any part of the State or the Union territory, of such other rank as the
State Government or the Central Government, as the case may be, may deem fit.
4. The Appropriate Authority shall have the following functions, namely:—
(a) to grant, suspend or cancel registration of a Genetic Counselling Centre, Genetic Laboratory
or Genetic Clinic;
(b) to enforce standards prescribed for the Genetic Counselling Centre, Genetic Laboratory and
Genetic Clinic;
(c) to investigate complaints of breach of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder
and take immediate action;
(d) to seek and consider the advice of the Advisory Committee, constituted under sub-section
(5), on application for registration and on complaints for suspension or cancellation of registration;
(e) to take appropriate legal action against the use of any sex selection technique by any person
at any place, suo motu or brought to its notice and also to initiate independent investigations
in such matter;
(f) to create public awareness against the practice of sex selection or pre-natal determination of sex;
(g) to supervise the implementation of the provisions of the Act and rules;
(h) to recommend to the CSB and State Boards modifications required in the rules in accordance
with changes in technology or social conditions;
(i) to take action on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee made after investigation
of complaint for suspension or cancellation of registration.
5. The Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, shall constitute an
Advisory Committee for each Appropriate Authority to aid and advise the Appropriate Authority in the discharge of its functions, and shall appoint one of the members of the Advisory
Committee to be its Chairman.
PNDT Act, 1994 & Amendments
6 The Advisory Committee shall consist of—
(a) three medical experts from amongst gynaecologists, obstericians, paediatricians and
medical geneticists;
(b) one legal expert;
(c) one officer to represent the department dealing with information and publicity of the State
Government or the Union territory, as the case may be;
(d) three eminent social workers of whom not less than one shall be from amongst representatives of women’s organisations.
7. No person who has been associated with the use or promotion of pre-natal diagnostic technique for
determination of sex or sex selection shall be appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee.
8. The Advisory Committee may meet as and when it thinks fit or on the request of the Appropriate Authority for consideration of any application for registration or any complaint for suspension or cancellation of registration and to give advice thereon:
Provided that the period intervening between any two meetings shall not exceed the prescribed
period.
9. The terms and conditions subject to which a person may be appointed to the Advisory Committee and the procedure to be followed by such Committee in the discharge of its functions shall be
such as may be prescribed.
17A. Powers of Appropriate Authorities.- The Appropriate Authority shall have the powers in respect
of the following matters, namely:-
a) summoning of any person who is in possession of any information relating to violation of the
provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder;
b) production of any document or material object relating to clause (a);
c) issuing search warrant for any place suspected to be indulging in sex selection techniques or
pre-natal sex determination; and
d)any other matter which may be prescribed.