Sections 201 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (for short, ‘IPC’), Section 19(1) read with Section 21(1) of POCSO Act and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.= Appellant no. 1 is a 66 years’ old lady who is a Gynecologist and had conducted the delivery. Appellant no. 2 is a Paediatrician who had attended to the baby of the victim after the delivery. Appellant no. 3, is a 69 years’ old Hospital Administrative. She is roped-in in that capacity though she did not attend to the victim or the baby.- It is not the case of the prosecution that these appellants had any knowledge about the alleged rape of the victim allegedly committed by accused No. 1 at any time earlier. In fact, they did not come into picture before 7th February, 2017 when the victim was brought to the hospital. However, the charge against these appellants is primarily on account of purported commission of an act under Sections 19(1) of POCSO Act.= Evidence should be such which should at least indicate grave suspicion. Mere likelihood of suspicion cannot be the reason to charge a person for an offence.

REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CRIMINAL APPEAL NO(S). 961 OF 2018
[ARISING OUT OF SLP (CRL.) NO. 3712 OF 2018]
DR. SR. TESSY JOSE AND OTHERS .....APPELLANT(S)
VERSUS
STATE OF KERALA .....RESPONDENT(S)
J U D G M E N T
A.K.SIKRI, J.
After hearing this matter on 1st August, 2018, following order
was passed:
“Leave granted.
We have heard the arguments.
We are informed that the trial is in progress today
before the trial court. Since, there is not enough time to
dictate the judgment, we are allowing this appeal so that
the decision is conveyed to the trial court. Reasons to
follow.
A copy of this order may be provided to the counsel
for the parties.”
 Criminal Appeal No. 961 of 2018 [ @SLP(Crl.) No. 3712 of 2018] Page 1 of 8
2. We are now stating our reasons which led us to allow the appeal
of the appellants.
3. First Information Report under the provisions of Protection of
Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (For short, POCSO Act)
has been registered in which charge sheet has been filed and the
case registered as Sessions Case No. 460 of 2017 is pending
before the Special Judge, Ernakulam. The appellants herein are
arrayed as accused nos. 3, 4 and 5. Insofar as the appellants are
concerned, allegations against them are under Sections 201 read
with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (for short, ‘IPC’),
Section 19(1) read with Section 21(1) of POCSO Act and Section
75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
4. The case of the prosecution, in brief, is that accused no. 1 had
raped the victim when she was a minor in the year 2016. As a
result, she became pregnant. As per victim’s mother, when the
victim started complaining about pain in her stomach, thinking it
to be some problem related to stomach, she brought her to the
hospital where the appellants were working, on 7th February,
2017. It was found that the victim was in advance stage of
pregnancy. In fact, soon after she was brought to the hospital,
she went into labour. She delivered the child. Insofar as the
 Criminal Appeal No. 961 of 2018 [ @SLP(Crl.) No. 3712 of 2018] Page 2 of 8
appellants are concerned, their role is that they attended to the
victim. Appellant no. 1 is a 66 years’ old lady who is a
Gynecologist and had conducted the delivery. Appellant no. 2 is
a Paediatrician who had attended to the baby of the victim after
the delivery. Appellant no. 3, is a 69 years’ old Hospital
Administrative. She is roped-in in that capacity though she did
not attend to the victim or the baby.
5. It is not the case of the prosecution that these appellants had any
knowledge about the alleged rape of the victim allegedly
committed by accused No. 1 at any time earlier. In fact, they did
not come into picture before 7th February, 2017 when the victim
was brought to the hospital. However, the charge against these
appellants is primarily on account of purported commission of an
act under Sections 19(1) of POCSO Act. This Section reads as
under:
“Section 19 (I) Notwithstanding anything contained in the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, any person (including
the child), who has apprehension that an offence under this
Act is likely to be committed or has knowledge that such an
offence has been committed, he shall provide such
information to—
(a) the Special Juvenile Police Unit; or
(b) the local police.
(2) Every report given under sub-section(I) shall be--
(a) ascribed an entry number and recorded in writing;
(b) be read over to the informant;
 Criminal Appeal No. 961 of 2018 [ @SLP(Crl.) No. 3712 of 2018] Page 3 of 8
(c) shall be entered in a book to be kept by the
 Police Unit.
(3) Where the report under sub-section (I) is given by a
child, the same shall be recorded under Section (2) in a
simple language so that the child understands contents
being recorded.
(4) In case contents are being recorded in the language not
understood by the child or wherever it is deemed
necessary, a translator or an interpreter, having such
qualifications, experience and on payment of such fees as
may be prescribed, shall be provided to the child if he fails
to understand the same.
(5) Where the Special Juvenile Police Unit or local police is
satisfied that the child against whom an offence has been
committed is in need of care and protection. then, it shall,
after recording the reasons in writing make immediate
arrangement to give him such care and protection
(including admitting the child into shelter home or to the
nearest hospital) within twenty-four hours of the report, as
may be prescribed.
(6) The Special Juvenile Police Unit or local police shall,
without unnecessary delay but within a period of twentyfour
hours, report the matter to the Child Welfare
Committee and the Special Court or where no Special
Court has been designated, to the Court of Session,
including need of the child for care and protection and
steps taken in this regard.
(7) No person shall incur any liability, whether civil or
criminal, for giving the information in good faith for the
purpose of sub-section (1).”
6. As is clear from the aforesaid provision, a person who had an
apprehension that an offence under the said Act is likely to be
committed or has knowledge that such an offence had been
committed would be required to provide such information to the
relevant authorities.
 Criminal Appeal No. 961 of 2018 [ @SLP(Crl.) No. 3712 of 2018] Page 4 of 8
7. Thus, what is alleged against the appellants is that they had the
knowledge that an offence under the Act had been committed
and, therefore, they were required to provide this information to
the relevant authorities which they failed to do.
8. After going through the record and hearing the counsel for the
parties, we are of the opinion that no such case is made out even
as per the material collected by the prosecution and filed in the
Court. The statement of the mother of the victim was recorded by
the police. The statement of the victim was also recorded. They
have not stated at all that when the victim was brought to the
hospital, her mother informed the appellants that she had been
raped by the accused no. 1 when she was a minor. Admittedly,
the victim was pregnant and immediately went into labour. In
these circumstances, it was even the professional duty of
Appellant No. 1 to attend to her and conduct the delivery, which
she did. Likewise, after the baby was born, the Appellant No. 2
as a Paediatrician performed her professional duty.
9. The entire case set up against the appellants is on the basis that
when the victim was brought to the hospital her age was recorded
as 18 years. On that basis appellants could have gathered that at
the time of conception she was less than 18 years and was, thus,
 Criminal Appeal No. 961 of 2018 [ @SLP(Crl.) No. 3712 of 2018] Page 5 of 8
a minor and, therefore, the appellants should have taken due
care in finding as to how the victim became pregnant. Fastening
the criminal liability on the basis of the aforesaid allegation is too
far fetched. The provisions of Section 19(1), reproduced above,
put a legal obligation on a person to inform the relevant
authorities, inter alia, when he/she has knowledge that an offence
under the Act had been committed. The expression used is
“knowledge” which means that some information received by
such a person gives him/her knowledge about the commission of
the crime. There is no obligation on this person to investigate
and gather knowledge. If at all, the appellants were not careful
enough to find the cause of pregnancy as the victim was only 18
years of age at the time of delivery. But that would not be
translated into criminality.
10. The term “knowledge”has been interpreted by this Court in AS
Krishnan and Others v. State of Kerala1
to mean an awareness
on the part of the person concerned indicating his state of mind.
Further, a person can be supposed to know only where there is a
direct appeal to his senses. We have gone through the medical
records of the victim which were referred by Mr. Basant R., Senior
Advocate for the appellants. The medical records, which are
1 (2004) 11 SCC 576
 Criminal Appeal No. 961 of 2018 [ @SLP(Crl.) No. 3712 of 2018] Page 6 of 8
relied upon by the prosecution, only show that the victim was
admitted in the hospital at 9.15 am and she immediately went into
labour and at 9.25 am she gave birth to a baby. Therefore,
appellant no. 1 attended to the victim for the first time between
9.15 am and 9.25 am on 7th February, 2017. The medical records
of the victim state that she was 18 years’ old as on 7th February,
2017. Appellant no. 1 did not know that the victim was a minor
when she had sexual intercourse.
11. Appellant no. 2 had not even examined the victim and was not in
contact with the victim. As per the medical records relied upon by
the prosecution, the baby was attended to by appellant no. 2 at
5.30 pm on 7th February, 2017. He advised that the baby be
given to the mother. Therefore, appellant no. 2 had no occasion
to examine/treat the victim.
12. Appellant no. 3 had not come in contact with the victim or the
baby at all. Being the administrator of the hospital it was not
possible for her to be aware of the details of each patient.
Considering that the victim was brought to the said hospital for
the first time on 7th February, 2017, it would not be possible for
appellant no. 3 to be aware of the circumstances surrounding the
admission of the victim.
 Criminal Appeal No. 961 of 2018 [ @SLP(Crl.) No. 3712 of 2018] Page 7 of 8
13. The knowledge requirement foisted on the appellants cannot be
that they ought to have deduced from circumstances that an
offence has been committed.
14. Accordingly, we are of the view that there is no evidence to
implicate the appellants. Evidence should be such which should
at least indicate grave suspicion. Mere likelihood of suspicion
cannot be the reason to charge a person for an offence.
Accordingly, these appeals are allowed and the proceedings
against the appellants in the aforesaid Sessions Case No. 460 of
2017 are hereby quashed.
.............................................J.
(A.K. SIKRI)
.............................................J.
(ASHOK BHUSHAN)
NEW DELHI;
AUGUST 01, 2018.
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