T.N. government to frame guidelines for child witnesses to gruesome crimes after Madras High Court’s intervention

Fast Summary

• The Madras High Court has taken steps to safeguard the mental health of child witnesses to gruesome crimes.
• Tamil Nadu government agreed to develop a dedicated framework for counseling and assistance for such child witnesses.
• This intervention came after the court reviewed an appeal involving an 8-year-old girl who witnessed her uncle murder her mother.
• Officials reported that 161 criminal cases with minor children as witnesses were registered in Tamil Nadu between January 2020 and July 2025.
• On August 20, 2025, high-level meetings were held at the Secretariat involving various departments (Social Welfare, Police, education, Health) and experts on the matter.
• An inter-departmental committee was formed to draft detailed guidelines protecting child witnesses across sectors like law enforcement, education, healthcare, and media protocols against secondary trauma.

Indian Opinion Analysis
This initiative by the Madras High Court demonstrates a progressive step towards addressing an underexplored dimension of justice-protecting mental health in legal processes involving children as witnesses.The formation of an inter-departmental committee is significant as it integrates expertise from multiple sectors to create thorough safeguards aligned with international frameworks like UN guidelines and existing national laws (POCSO Act). Crucially,attention on early identification systems for vulnerable children underscores a preventive approach rather than reactive measures alone. These developments could serve as a precedent for other states in India dealing with similar sensitive situations.

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