Overview
- The Supreme Court on Thursday, June 11, 2026, modified Bombay High Court orders and sent the case back to the Family Court for fresh consideration under new safeguards.
- The court said psychological evaluation of a child should not be routine and must be ordered only when clearly necessary with reasons recorded by the judge.
- Where testing is needed the court directed that one independent, court‑appointed child psychologist should normally conduct it to avoid repeated, overlapping, or multi‑expert panels.
- Family courts must first obtain separate psychological assessments of both parents and the treating psychologist’s report, keep evaluative material confidential, and remain alert to parental alienation or false memory risks.
- The judgment ties these steps to the POCSO Act by stressing that procedures must avoid re‑traumatisation, must not try criminal guilt, and should be reviewed periodically so decisions stay child‑centred and case‑by‑case.