Supreme Court urges judges to drop insensitive language in sexual offence rulings

The Supreme Court, chaired by Chief Justice Surya Kant, expressed alarm over insensitive wording in recent high court orders from Allahabad, Jharkhand and Calcutta that dealt with sexual-offence allegations. Senior advocate Shobha Gupta, representing “We The Women of India”, pointed to a March 2025 Allahabad judgment that blamed the victim, an August 2025 Jharkhand decision that dismissed an attempted rape claim, and an April 2025 Calcutta order that gave the accused the benefit of doubt under the POCSO Act.

The apex court recalled its February 2026 directive for the National Judicial Academy to draft a handbook on judicial language, noting that the handbook was completed in July and a curriculum is now being prepared. It issued notices to the three high courts, urging them to set aside the problematic observations, and reiterated the need for nationwide judicial sensitisation. The court also referenced its earlier suo motu intervention in a Patna high court order that had minimized a similar act as not constituting attempted rape.