Expedite trial in sexual offences against women and children, orders Madras High Court
The Madras High Court on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) directed all trial courts seized of sexual offence cases in Tamil Nadu to make every effort
The Madras High Court on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) directed all trial courts seized of sexual offence cases in Tamil Nadu to make every effort to complete the trial within two months by not granting adjournments, except for “truly exceptional reasons to be recorded in writing.” Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan directed the Registrar General of High Court to issue a circular to all district and sessions courts in the State, reiterating the statutory requirement under Section 346(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to complete the trial within two months of filing the charge sheet by the police. The Registrar General was also ordered to reissue a 2024 circular reminding every presiding officer of a special court constituted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, to record the evidence of child victims within 30 days and conclude the trial, as far as possible, within one year as prescribed under the Act. “The State Government and the Registrar General shall jointly ensure that every POCSO case in the State is tried by a duly constituted Special Court under Section 28 of the POCSO Act, and that presiding officers of such courts receive training in child-sensitive procedure,” the Division Bench said.
The Bench also ordered that a committee constituted by the High Court for effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act and to regulate and monitor the progress of trials in POCSO cases shall monitor the progress of trials across every district and call for periodic compliance reports disclosing the date of cognisance, the current stage of trial, and the reasons for any delay beyond the statutory timelines. Further, the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy was directed to conduct special training sessions periodically for the presiding officers of all POCSO courts on the 30-day child-evidence-recording requirement, the obligation to take prompt cognisance of electronically filed charge sheets and the one-year trial-completion mandate under Section 35(2) of the POCSO Act. The Division Bench ordered the appointment of presiding officers at the earliest to four POCSO courts at Cuddalore, Dindigul, Madurai, and Thoothukudi and insisted that the State government take an early decision on constituting six more POCSO courts, which had been sanctioned but not set up yet. Directions to DGP The Chief Justice’s Bench issued a slew of directions to the Director General of Police (DsGP) too on speeding up prosecution in sexual offences against women and children.
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