Overview
- The division bench of Chief Justice M. S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar issued a 55-page suo motu judgment that sets mandatory, state-wide rules for handling sexual assault cases.
- The court made police changes compulsory by mandating immediate Zero FIR registration, a 15-day preliminary probe, a two-month investigation window, and trials to finish within two months from filing the charge sheet.
- The judgment bans the unscientific two-finger test in all government and private medical facilities, orders binding circulars to hospitals, and treats violations as professional misconduct subject to disciplinary action.
- Survivor support measures include counselling, relocation help, mandatory disbursal of interim or final NALSA compensation within 30 days, upgrades and staffing for One-Stop Centres, and free education plus scholarships for children born of rape.
- To enforce the order the court directed the DGP to form a Special Task Force for quarterly reviews and required state agencies to operationalise emergency line 181 and issue the necessary circulars, leaving implementation and resourcing to the Jharkhand government.