T.N. govt. to formulate SOP to expedite prosecution in crimes against women and children: A-G to Madras High Court

The Tamil Nadu government is in the process of formulating a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for speeding up prosecution in sexual crimes against women and children, Advocate General Vijay Narayan told the Madras High Court on Monday (June 22, 2026).

Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, the A-G said, the government had also decided to give utmost importance to the upgradation of infrastructure required for speedy investigation and trial.

He said, at present, not all regional forensic science laboratories in the State were equipped with DNA testing facilities but the present government intends to increase the number of such facilities, in order to reduce the delay in concluding police investigations.

Stating that the delay in completing the investigation and filing charge sheets occur mostly due to the delay in obtaining forensic science reports, he said that the government had decided to give an impetus to upgrading all kinds of infrastructure required for speeding up the process.

What is the case about?

The submissions were made during the hearing of a writ petition filed by a 26-year-old rape survivor complaining about the delay in commencing the trial in her case. The A-G said that the petitioner had been raped by two policemen at Tiruvannamalai in September 2025.

He informed the Division Bench that a single judge of the High Court had on June 4, 2026, dismissed the petitions filed by the accused to discharge them from the case. Thereafter, the trial court had framed charges against them on June 17, 2026, and the trial is set to begin on June 24, 2026.

The A-G also impressed upon the need for the High Court to sensitise judicial officers regarding the conduct of trial in such cases on a day-to-day basis so that it could be completed within two months as mandated under Section 346(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

After hearing him, the Division Bench directed the State government and the Registrar General of the High Court to file a comprehensive report within two weeks listing out all facts and figures regarding pending sexual offence cases against women and children and the infrastructural requirements.