Supreme Court Orders Trial Courts to Mandate Victim Compensation at Judgment

The directive seeks to end gaps that forced survivors to chase payments by requiring clear orders that Legal Services Authorities can execute.

Overview

A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan issued the order while hearing Jyoti Praveen Khandpasole’s public interest petition, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 989 of 2025.
High Courts must circulate the ruling to Principal District Judges, and Registrar Generals must ensure State Judicial Academies embed the compensation process in judicial training.
Special and Sessions Courts are directed to pass explicit compensation orders so SLSAs, DLSAs or TLSAs can disburse funds without requiring separate applications by victims.
The Court grounded the directive in BNSS Section 396 (formerly CrPC Section 357A) and POCSO provisions, extending earlier focus on sexual-offence cases to all offences covered by state schemes.
Notice was issued to the Union government, and NALSA accepted notice through advocate Rashmi Nandakumar, formally bringing key implementation bodies into the proceedings.