A 17-year-old girl in Rajasthan, married a year ago, is brought by her mother, who says the husband forces intercourse on the girl against her will. The girl confirms this. How is the husband's act classified under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?

Rape, as the wife is under 18 years

Rape only if there are physical injuries

Only cruelty, not a sexual offence

A 24-year-old woman is brought to a district hospital by the police after a sexual assault the previous night. A junior resident prepares to perform a per-vaginal two-finger test to comment on whether she is used to intercourse. What should the senior doctor tell the resident?

The test is prohibited and must not be done

Do it and record the finding as habituation

Do it only when the hymen is found to be intact

Do it only after written consent

In a rape case in Bhopal, a dried stain on the survivor's petticoat looks like semen, but microscopy shows no spermatozoa. The accused had a vasectomy three years ago. Which test best confirms that the stain is semen?

Prostate-specific antigen (p30)

Florence test for choline crystals

A girl who left home with a young man is traced by the police in Kota. Her parents say she is 16; she says she is 19 and married him by choice. No birth or school record is available. The age board's X-rays show fused elbow epiphyses, an unfused lower end of the radius and ulna, an iliac crest epiphysis that has appeared but not fused, and an unfused medial end of the clavicle; the third molars have not erupted. What is the most appropriate opinion?

About 15-17 years: a minor in law

About 12-13 years: a young child

Identification, age estimation and sexual offences

28 NEET-PG practice questions on Identification, age estimation and sexual offences, part of Forensic Medicine. The first 25 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Medium
A 17-year-old girl in Rajasthan, married a year ago, is brought by her mother, who says the husband forces intercourse on the girl against her will. The girl confirms this. How is the husband's act classified under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?
1. ARape, as the wife is under 18 years
2. BNot rape, as they are married
3. CRape only if there are physical injuries
4. DOnly cruelty, not a sexual offence
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Answer: A · Rape, as the wife is under 18 years
The BNS exception for sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife applies only when the wife is not under 18 years, so intercourse with a wife below 18 is rape whether or not she consents. This brings the BNS in line with the Supreme Court's 2017 ruling and with POCSO, under which any sexual act with a person below 18 is an offence. The doctor examines and treats her, informs the police as required for a child, and involves child protection services. Absence of injuries does not mean absence of rape.
- B: The marital exception does not apply when the wife is below 18.
- C: Injuries are not needed to prove rape; many survivors have none.
- D: Forced intercourse with a minor wife is rape, not merely cruelty.
Question 2 · Easy
A 24-year-old woman is brought to a district hospital by the police after a sexual assault the previous night. A junior resident prepares to perform a per-vaginal two-finger test to comment on whether she is used to intercourse. What should the senior doctor tell the resident?
1. ADo it and record the finding as habituation
2. BThe test is prohibited and must not be done
3. CDo it only when the hymen is found to be intact
4. DDo it only after written consent
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Answer: B · The test is prohibited and must not be done
The two-finger test has been held by the Supreme Court to violate the survivor's right to privacy and dignity, and the MoHFW 2014 guidelines direct that it must not be done. Past sexual experience is irrelevant to whether consent was given for the act in question, and the size of the vaginal introitus says nothing about assault. A per-speculum or per-vaginal examination is done only when medically needed, for injuries or for collecting samples, with consent. Remarks such as 'habituated to sex' must never appear in the report.
- A: Comments on habituation are prohibited in the medico-legal report.
- C: The state of the hymen does not justify the test, and its absence or presence proves nothing about assault.
- D: Consent does not make a prohibited and unscientific test acceptable.
Question 3 · Medium
In a rape case in Bhopal, a dried stain on the survivor's petticoat looks like semen, but microscopy shows no spermatozoa. The accused had a vasectomy three years ago. Which test best confirms that the stain is semen?
1. ATeichmann haemin crystal test
2. BProstate-specific antigen (p30)
3. CFlorence test for choline crystals
4. DBarberio test for spermine
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Answer: B · Prostate-specific antigen (p30)
Seminal fluid from a vasectomised or azoospermic man contains no sperm, so a test for a seminal plasma component is needed. Prostate-specific antigen (p30) is made by the prostate, is not affected by vasectomy, and is the most specific marker of semen in such a stain; acid phosphatase is also used but is less specific. The Florence and Barberio crystal tests are only presumptive screening tests, as choline and spermine occur in other body fluids and tissues. DNA testing of epithelial cells in the stain can then link it to the accused.
- A: The Teichmann test identifies blood, not semen.
- C: The Florence test is presumptive only; choline is present in other fluids and tissues.
- D: The Barberio test is also presumptive and not specific for semen.
Question 4 · Easy
Skeletal remains of an adult are recovered from a dry well near Nashik, and a forensic odontologist is asked to estimate age from an extracted lower incisor using Gustafson's method. Of the six changes scored, which one is regarded as the most reliable?
1. AAttrition of the crown
2. BPeriodontosis
3. CSecondary dentine deposition
4. DTransparency of the root
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Answer: D · Transparency of the root
Gustafson's method scores six age changes in a ground section of a tooth: attrition, periodontosis, secondary dentine, cementum apposition, root resorption and root transparency. Root transparency, which begins at the apex and moves up the root with age, is the most reliable single criterion because it is least affected by diet, disease or oral hygiene. The total score is fitted to a regression line to give an age with a margin of error of several years. It is used for adults, after the eruption sequence of teeth has ended.
- A: Attrition depends heavily on diet and bruxism, so it varies widely at a given age.
- B: Periodontosis is strongly affected by oral hygiene and gum disease.
- C: Secondary dentine is laid down faster after caries or trauma, so it is less reliable.
Question 5 · Hard
A girl who left home with a young man is traced by the police in Kota. Her parents say she is 16; she says she is 19 and married him by choice. No birth or school record is available. The age board's X-rays show fused elbow epiphyses, an unfused lower end of the radius and ulna, an iliac crest epiphysis that has appeared but not fused, and an unfused medial end of the clavicle; the third molars have not erupted. What is the most appropriate opinion?
1. AAbout 15-17 years: a minor in law
2. BAbout 12-13 years: a young child
3. CAbout 22-25 years: an adult
4. DAbout 19-21 years: an adult
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Answer: A · About 15-17 years: a minor in law
In a girl the elbow epiphyses fuse at about 13-15 years, while the lower ends of the radius and ulna fuse at about 16-18 years, so fused elbows with an unfused lower radius place her roughly between 15 and 17. An iliac crest epiphysis that has appeared but not fused and an unfused medial clavicle agree with this, as the clavicle fuses last, in the early to mid twenties. Because she is very probably under 18, her consent is not valid in law, and the case falls under the BNS and POCSO. Radiological age is an estimate with a margin of a couple of years, so it is reported as a range.
- B: At 12-13 the elbow epiphyses would not yet be fused in most girls.
- C: By 22-25 the iliac crest and usually the lower radius would be fused.
- D: An adult of 19-21 would usually show a fused lower end of the radius.
Question 6 · Medium
A 19-year-old student is examined at a medical college hospital 30 hours after a sexual assault by a stranger. She has bruises on both forearms. The casualty medical officer reviews four statements: 1. Levonorgestrel emergency contraception can still be offered. 2. HIV post-exposure prophylaxis should be considered, as she is within 72 hours. 3. Treatment must wait until the police register an FIR. 4. Her clothes, if damp, should be air-dried and packed in separate paper bags. Which statements are correct?
1. AOnly 1 and 4
2. BOnly 2 and 3
3. COnly 1, 2 and 4
4. DAll four: 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Medium
A toddler found abandoned outside a temple in Madurai is brought for age estimation. An X-ray of the left wrist shows ossified capitate, hamate and triquetral bones and the centre of the lower end of the radius, but no lunate, scaphoid, trapezium, trapezoid or pisiform. What is the most likely age?
1. AAbout 1 year
2. BAbout 6 years
3. CAbout 3 years
4. DAbout 10 years
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 8 · Medium
A 27-year-old woman is brought by her friend to a government hospital in Pune 10 hours after being raped by an acquaintance. She asks for treatment and an examination but says firmly that she does not want to file a complaint with the police. What should the doctor do?
1. AInform the police and document her refusal
2. BKeep the matter confidential from the police
3. CRefuse to examine her without an FIR
4. DSend her to the police station first
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 9 · Hard
A boy arrested in a sexual offence case in Lucknow claims he is 17, so that he will be dealt with as a juvenile. The police ask the medical officer to order X-rays at once for age estimation. Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, what must be relied on first?
1. AHis school or birth certificate, if available
2. BAn ossification test of the wrist and elbow
3. CA dental age estimate by Gustafson's method
4. DHis own statement made before a magistrate
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 10 · Hard
A 9-year-old girl is brought by her mother to a PHC in Odisha with burning micturition and bleeding from a small tear of the posterior fourchette. The girl says her uncle hurt her there. The mother begs the medical officer not to tell anyone, as the family will be shamed. What is the most appropriate action?
1. ATreat her, but keep it from the police
2. BSend her to the police before examining her
3. CWait for a magistrate's order to examine
4. DTreat, examine with consent, and inform police
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 11 · Medium
The body of a newborn is found wrapped in cloth in a drain in Ludhiana, and the autopsy surgeon must give an opinion on whether the baby was mature. The crown-heel length is 48 cm. Which ossification centre, if present on X-ray or dissection, best indicates at least 36 weeks of gestation?
1. ACentre for the capitate
2. BLower end of the femur
3. CCentre for the calcaneum
4. DCentre for the talus
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 12 · Medium
The body of an infant is found buried in a field near Muzaffarpur. A ground section of a temporary incisor in the forensic laboratory shows a well-defined neonatal line in the enamel. What does this finding indicate?
1. ADied during the process of delivery
2. BBorn alive and survived a while after birth
3. CStillborn, with death well before delivery began
4. DPremature, born before 28 weeks
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 13 · Easy
A child found wandering alone at Howrah railway station is brought to the casualty for age estimation. The mouth shows all 20 temporary teeth, and the first permanent molars have just erupted behind them; no permanent incisor has appeared yet. What is the most likely age?
1. AAbout 12 years
2. BAbout 9 years
3. CAbout 2 years
4. DAbout 6 years
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 14 · Medium
A skeleton is found in a forest in Wayanad and sent to the forensic medicine department. The autopsy surgeon notes four findings: 1. Subpubic angle of about 95 degrees. 2. Wide, shallow greater sciatic notch. 3. Well-marked preauricular sulcus. 4. Everted, prominent gonial angles of the mandible. Which findings favour a female skeleton?
1. A1, 2 and 3 only
2. B3 and 4 only
3. C1 and 3 only
4. D2 and 4 only
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 15 · Medium
A 28-year-old uncircumcised man is arrested and examined 8 hours after an alleged rape. The examining doctor finds a thick layer of smegma around the corona glandis, and no injury to the penis or frenulum. What does the smegma finding suggest?
1. AThe man is incapable of sexual intercourse
2. BRecent intercourse within about 24 hours is unlikely
3. CIntercourse within the last few hours is now confirmed
4. DThe finding has no medico-legal value at all
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 16 · Medium
A 24-year-old woman tells the police that a colleague kept up a sexual relationship with her for two years on a promise of marriage that, as later shown, he never intended to keep. How does the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita treat this act?
1. ANo offence, as she consented each time
2. BA separate offence of intercourse by deceit
3. CRape, as her consent was wholly vitiated by deceit
4. DOnly cheating, with no sexual offence
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 17 · Hard
A college student who reports rape by an acquaintance 10 hours earlier is brought by a woman police constable to the casualty of a district hospital. After the procedure is explained, she gives written consent. The medical officer examines her with a female nurse present, records injuries, collects swabs and clothing, and avoids any finger test. Under BNSS Section 184, what must he do with his findings?
1. ANote start and end times; send the report to the IO within 7 days
2. BHand the report only to her family, sealed
3. CKeep the report until a court summons it
4. DSend the report to the magistrate within 24 hours
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 18 · Medium
Only a dry, complete left femur is recovered from a riverbank in Malappuram after a flood; the skull and other bones are missing. Its epiphyses are fully fused. The police ask the forensic expert to estimate how tall the person was in life. Which approach gives the best estimate?
1. AA regression formula using its maximum length
2. BThe angle between the neck and the shaft
3. CThe degree of fusion of its epiphyses
4. DThe diameter of the head of the femur
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 19 · Easy
In dactylography, which fingerprint pattern is the most common in the population?
1. AArches
2. BWhorls
3. CComposites
4. DLoops
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 20 · Hard
A girl is brought to a Child Welfare Committee, with a doubt about whether she is under 18 years. She has no school or matriculation certificate. As laid down under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the order of evidence is shown in the flowchart, with one step missing. What is that step?
Figure: MedExams
1. AAppearance of the girl as judged by the Committee
2. BBirth certificate given by a corporation, municipal authority or panchayat
3. CDate of birth in the Aadhaar card
4. DStatement of the parents about the date of birth
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 21 · Medium
In a disputed-paternity case, short tandem repeat typing gives the repeat numbers of two alleles at three loci, as shown in the table. Which statement is correct?
Figure: MedExams
1. ANeither man can be excluded
2. BMan X is not excluded and man Y is excluded
3. CBoth men are excluded
4. DMan Y is not excluded and man X is excluded
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 22 · Medium
A young man with no birth record has the panoramic radiograph shown. All the permanent teeth to the second molar are erupted, no milk teeth remain, and the four third molars are still developing inside the bone with their roots incomplete. Which age range best fits?
Figure: Photo: w: Coronation Dental Specialty Group, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1. AAbout 10 to 11 years
2. BAbout 6 to 8 years
3. CAbout 16 to 21 years
4. DOver 30 years
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 23 · Hard
A fingerprint expert examines the ink impression shown, in which ridges enter from one side, curve round and leave on the same side, with one triangular meeting point of ridges at the lower left. Ridge counting is needed to classify the pattern further. Between which points is the count made?
Figure: Photo: Metrónomo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1. ABetween the core and the outer edge of the print
2. BBetween the delta and the nearest edge ridge
3. CBetween the two deltas of the pattern
4. DBetween the delta and the core, excluding the ridges forming each
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 24 · Medium
In a mass casualty fire, a charred body of a man has jaws shown in the dental radiograph taken at autopsy, with a metal framework fixed to the jaw and metal posts. His dentist has the antemortem panoramic film and treatment record. What is the best statement about using dental findings here?
Figure: Photo: Dentistxxx, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1. ADental identification is invalid unless most of the natural teeth are intact
2. BDental records are only useful when the fingerprints are also lost or damaged
3. CMetal work in the mouth melts at ordinary fire temperatures and cannot be compared
4. DThe prosthesis can be matched with the antemortem film and record, a primary identifier
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 25 · Easy
In a fingerprint bureau, the ridges of a fingertip are photographed as shown. They run in concentric rings around a central core. Under Henry's classification, which pattern is this?
Figure: Photo: Saurabh R. Patil, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1. AArch
2. BComposite
3. CWhorl
4. DLoop
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

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Identification, age estimation and sexual offences

A 17-year-old girl in Rajasthan, married a year ago, is brought by her mother, who says the husband forces intercourse on the girl against her will. The girl confirms this. How is the husband's act classified under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?

A 24-year-old woman is brought to a district hospital by the police after a sexual assault the previous night. A junior resident prepares to perform a per-vaginal two-finger test to comment on whether she is used to intercourse. What should the senior doctor tell the resident?

In a rape case in Bhopal, a dried stain on the survivor's petticoat looks like semen, but microscopy shows no spermatozoa. The accused had a vasectomy three years ago. Which test best confirms that the stain is semen?

Skeletal remains of an adult are recovered from a dry well near Nashik, and a forensic odontologist is asked to estimate age from an extracted lower incisor using Gustafson's method. Of the six changes scored, which one is regarded as the most reliable?

A toddler found abandoned outside a temple in Madurai is brought for age estimation. An X-ray of the left wrist shows ossified capitate, hamate and triquetral bones and the centre of the lower end of the radius, but no lunate, scaphoid, trapezium, trapezoid or pisiform. What is the most likely age?

A 27-year-old woman is brought by her friend to a government hospital in Pune 10 hours after being raped by an acquaintance. She asks for treatment and an examination but says firmly that she does not want to file a complaint with the police. What should the doctor do?

A boy arrested in a sexual offence case in Lucknow claims he is 17, so that he will be dealt with as a juvenile. The police ask the medical officer to order X-rays at once for age estimation. Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, what must be relied on first?

The body of a newborn is found wrapped in cloth in a drain in Ludhiana, and the autopsy surgeon must give an opinion on whether the baby was mature. The crown-heel length is 48 cm. Which ossification centre, if present on X-ray or dissection, best indicates at least 36 weeks of gestation?

The body of an infant is found buried in a field near Muzaffarpur. A ground section of a temporary incisor in the forensic laboratory shows a well-defined neonatal line in the enamel. What does this finding indicate?

A child found wandering alone at Howrah railway station is brought to the casualty for age estimation. The mouth shows all 20 temporary teeth, and the first permanent molars have just erupted behind them; no permanent incisor has appeared yet. What is the most likely age?

A 28-year-old uncircumcised man is arrested and examined 8 hours after an alleged rape. The examining doctor finds a thick layer of smegma around the corona glandis, and no injury to the penis or frenulum. What does the smegma finding suggest?

A 24-year-old woman tells the police that a colleague kept up a sexual relationship with her for two years on a promise of marriage that, as later shown, he never intended to keep. How does the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita treat this act?

Only a dry, complete left femur is recovered from a riverbank in Malappuram after a flood; the skull and other bones are missing. Its epiphyses are fully fused. The police ask the forensic expert to estimate how tall the person was in life. Which approach gives the best estimate?

In dactylography, which fingerprint pattern is the most common in the population?

In a disputed-paternity case, short tandem repeat typing gives the repeat numbers of two alleles at three loci, as shown in the table. Which statement is correct?

A young man with no birth record has the panoramic radiograph shown. All the permanent teeth to the second molar are erupted, no milk teeth remain, and the four third molars are still developing inside the bone with their roots incomplete. Which age range best fits?

A fingerprint expert examines the ink impression shown, in which ridges enter from one side, curve round and leave on the same side, with one triangular meeting point of ridges at the lower left. Ridge counting is needed to classify the pattern further. Between which points is the count made?

In a mass casualty fire, a charred body of a man has jaws shown in the dental radiograph taken at autopsy, with a metal framework fixed to the jaw and metal posts. His dentist has the antemortem panoramic film and treatment record. What is the best statement about using dental findings here?

In a fingerprint bureau, the ridges of a fingertip are photographed as shown. They run in concentric rings around a central core. Under Henry's classification, which pattern is this?