The Tamil Nadu government is devising a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to expedite the handling of sexual offences against women and children, as disclosed to the Madras High Court. Advocate General Vijay Narayan emphasized the government’s commitment to enhancing infrastructure for swift resolution of such cases, citing delays often encountered during investigations due to forensic report delays, especially DNA analyses.
To tackle the issue of delayed investigations caused by the lack of DNA testing facilities in regional forensic labs, the government plans to expand and upgrade these facilities across Tamil Nadu. This move aims to streamline evidence processing and investigation timelines. These developments were shared during a hearing related to a writ petition filed by a 26-year-old rape survivor, concerning delays in trial proceedings initiation.
The petition pertained to an incident where the petitioner was allegedly raped by two policemen in Tiruvannamalai district in September 2025. The High Court had recently dismissed petitions seeking discharge from the case, leading to the framing of charges against the accused and scheduling the trial to commence on June 24. The Advocate General also stressed the importance of expediting trial proceedings in sexual offence cases, urging for day-to-day trials as mandated by the law.
In response to the situation, the division bench instructed the Tamil Nadu government and the Registrar General of the Madras High Court to furnish a detailed report within two weeks. This report is anticipated to encompass information on pending sexual offence cases involving women and children, along with an assessment of the existing infrastructure and additional requirements necessary for ensuring prompt investigations and trials.
