The State of Uttar Pradesh appealed to the Supreme Court on a certificate issued by the Allahabad High Court arising from a quashing petition filed by Respondent Brij Pal Singh, who sought to quash a chargesheet drawn against him under the IPC and the PCPNDT Act, 1994, following a decoy operation that uncovered alleged illegal foetal sex determination at his hospital. The Allahabad High Court's Single Judge, while accepting the quashing petition, noted sharp conflicts among various High Courts on three key questions: whether police can register an FIR for PCPNDT Act offences, whether police can investigate such offences, and whether a Magistrate can take cognizance on a police chargesheet under the Act. The Supreme Court took up the matter to resolve these conflicting views, examining the scheme of the PCPNDT Act, 1994 — particularly Sections 27 and 28 — alongside relevant CrPC provisions and precedents from multiple High Courts. The judgment (authored by Justice Sanjay Karol) undertook an extensive analysis of the statutory framework, submissions of counsel, and comparative legislation to answer the three certified questions. The full outcome of the reference is contained in the 'Answering the Reference' section of the judgment.