← Policy & Regulation-Standards & approvals (all topics)
PNDT Act (prenatal diagnostic techniques restrictions)
What it is
The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, amended 2003, enacted to curb sex-selective abortion. Every ultrasound machine, clinic and sonologist must be registered with the Appropriate Authority
Form F must be completed for every scan and preserved two years, monthly returns filed, and disclosure of foetal sex is prohibited outright
Impact on industries
- Registration and record-keeping burden is a real barrier to entry that favours organised radiology chains with compliance infrastructure
- Penalties are criminal, not civil - up to three years' imprisonment, plus sealing of equipment and suspension of registration, which halts a centre outright
- Clerical error in Form F is prosecuted on the same footing as sex determination, a long-standing grievance that has drawn radiologist strikes
- Enforcement varies by state and Appropriate Authority, with local instructions beyond the Act itself creating compliance ambiguity for multi-state operators