Supreme Court - Daily Orders
In Re: To Issue Certain Guidelines ... vs Respondent(S) on 5 February, 2026
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ITEM NO.11 COURT NO.5 SECTION PIL-W
S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Miscellaneous Application No. 505/2022 in SMW(Crl) No. 1/2017 in
SMW(Crl) No. 1/2017
IN RE: TO ISSUE CERTAIN GUIDELINES
REGARDING INADEQUACIES AND
DEFICIENCIES IN CRIMINAL TRIALS Petitioner(s)
VERSUS
Respondent(s)
IA No. 96874/2022 - APPROPRIATE ORDERS/DIRECTIONS
IA No. 62259/2022 - APPROPRIATE ORDERS/DIRECTIONS
WITH
MA 1836/2021 in SMW(Crl) No. 1/2017 (PIL-W)
IA No. 143809/2021 - APPROPRIATE ORDERS/DIRECTIONS
MA 2045/2025 in SMW(Crl) No. 1/2017 (PIL-W)
FOR ADMISSION
IA No. 265911/2025 - APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION
IA No. 265924/2025 - CLARIFICATION/DIRECTION
IA No. 265928/2025 - EXEMPTION FROM FILING O.T.
IA No. 265913/2025 - INTERVENTION/IMPLEADMENT
Date : 05-02-2026 These matters were called on for hearing today.
CORAM : HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M.M. SUNDRESH
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE NONGMEIKAPAM KOTISWAR SINGH
By Courts Motion
For Petitioner(s) Mr. Sidharth Luthra, Sr. Adv.
Mr. R Basant, Sr. Adv. (not present)
Mr. K Parameshwar, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Balaji Srinivasan, AOR
Ms. Madhusruthi Neelakantan, Adv.
Mr. Subornodeep Bhattacharjee, Adv.
Ms. Suganya T S, Adv.
Mr. Arijeet Singh, Adv.
Signature Not Verified
Mr. Abhinav Singh, Adv.
For M/S. A S Pundir & Co, AOR
Digitally signed by
SWETA BALODI
Date: 2026.02.11
17:05:55 IST
Reason:
Mr. T. G. Narayanan Nair, AOR
Ms. Samyuktha H Nair, Adv.
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For Respondent(s) Ms. Aishwaraya Bhati, ASG
Mr. Vikramjeet Benarjee, A.S.G. (not present)
Mr. Pranay Ranjan, Adv.
Mr. Anmol Chandan, Adv.
Mr. Sachin Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Diwakar Sharma, Adv.
Mr. M.k. Maroria (aor), Adv.
Mr. Vinayak Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Gurmeet Singh Makker, AOR
Mr. Guntur Pramod Kumar, AOR
Ms. Prerna Singh, Adv.
Mr. Dhruv Yadav, Adv.
Ms. Disha Singh , AOR
Ms. Eliza Bar, Adv.
Mrs. Prerna Dhall, Adv.
Mr. Ambuj Swaroop, Adv.
Ms. Rajnandani Kumari, Adv.
Mr. Kapil Katare, Adv.
Mr. Prashant Singh, AOR
Mr. Sanchit Garga, AOR
Mr. Shashwat Jaiswal, Adv.
Mr. Kunal Rana, Adv.
Mr. V. N. Raghupathy, AOR
Mr. G. Prakash, AOR
Mr. Nishe Rajen Shonker, AOR
Mrs. Anu K Joy, Adv.
Mr. Alim Anvar, Adv.
Mr. Santhosh K, Adv.
Mrs. Devika A.l., Adv.
Mr. Shrirang B. Varma, Adv.
Mr. Siddharth Dharmadhikari, Adv.
Mr. Aaditya Aniruddha Pande, AOR
Mr. Pukhrambam Ramesh Kumar, AOR
Mr. Karun Sharma, Adv.
Mrs. Anupama Ngangom, Adv.
Ms. Anupama Ngangom, Adv.
Mrs. Rajkumari Divyasana, Adv.
Ms. Rajkumari Divyasana, Adv.
Ms. K. Enatoli Sema, AOR
Mr. Amit Kumar Singh, Adv.
Ms. Chubalemla Chang, Adv.
Mr. Prang Newmai, Adv.
Ms. Yanmi Phazang, Adv.
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Mr. Shiv Mangal Sharma, A.A.G.
Ms. Sonali Gaur, Adv.
Ms. Nidhi Jaswal, AOR
Mr. Sameer Abhyankar, AOR
Mr. Rahul Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Krishna Rastogi, Adv.
Mr. Aakash Thakur, Adv.
Mr. Varun Chugh, Adv.
Mr. Krishna Kant Dubey, Adv.
Mr. Yogesh Vats, Adv.
Ms. Indira Bhakar, Adv.
Mr. Shashwat Parihar, Adv.
Mr. Santosh Ramdurg, Adv.
Mr. Shreekant Neelappa Terdal, AOR
Mr. Kunal Chatterji, AOR
Ms. Maitrayee Banerjee, Adv.
Mr. Rohit Bansal, Adv.
Mr. Varij Nayan Mishra, Adv.
Mr. Atul Jha, Adv.
Mr. Sandeep Kumar Jha, AOR
Mr. Abhay Kumar, AOR
Mr. Shagun Ruhil, Adv.
Mr. Shreenivash, Adv.
Mr. Karan Chopra, Adv.
Mr. Ambhoj Kumar Sinha, AOR
Ms. Neeti Bhardwaj, Adv.
Mr. Amit Pai, AOR
Ms. Pankhuri Bhardwaj, Adv.
Mr. Tathagata Dutta, Adv.
Mr. Anandh Kannan N., AOR
Mr. Sanjai Kumar Pathak, AOR
Mrs. Shashi Pathak, Adv.
Mr. Arvind Kumar Tripathi, Adv.
Mr. Robin Kumar, Adv.
Ms. Shweta Jayshankar Dwivedi, Adv.
Ms. Smriti Singh, Adv.
Mr. Mahesh Thakur, AOR
Mr. Ahanthem Henry, Adv.
Mr. Ahanthem Rohen Singh, Adv.
Mr. Mohan Singh, Adv.
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Mr. Aniket Rajput, Adv.
Ms. Khoisnam Nirmala Devi, Adv.
Mr. Yeshu Mehta, Adv.
Mr. Tanay Hegde, Adv.
Mr. Kumar Mihir, AOR
Ms. Asmita Singh, AOR
Ms. Asmita Singh, Adv.
Ms. Ankita Makan, Adv.
Mr. Shashank Jain, Adv.
Mr. Ashok Mathur, AOR
Ms. Shardha Zutshi, Adv.
Mr. Mukesh K. Giri, AOR
Mr. Mandaar Mukesh Giri, Adv.
Mr. Pranjal Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Shuvodeep Roy, AOR
Mr. Deepayan Dutta, Adv.
Mr. Saurabh Tripathi, Adv.
Ms. Yachna Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Gopal Jha, AOR
Mr. Nishant Ramakantrao Katneshwarkar, AOR
Mr. Upendra Mishra, Adv.
Mr. Avijit Mani Tripathi, AOR
Mr. Nirnimesh Dube, AOR
Mr. Karan Sharma, AOR
Ms. Jaspreet Gogia, AOR
Mr. M. Yogesh Kanna, AOR
Mr. Jatinder Kumar Bhatia, AOR
Ms. Ruchira Goel, AOR
M/S. Plr Chambers And Co., AOR
Mr. Chanchal Kumar Ganguli, AOR
Ms. G. Indira, AOR
Mr. Guntur Prabhakar, AOR
Mr. Abhimanyu Tewari, AOR
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Mr. Santosh Kumar - I, AOR
Ms. Abha R. Sharma, AOR
Mr. Sumeer Sodhi, AOR
Mr. P. S. Sudheer, AOR
Mr. Subodh S. Patil, AOR
Ms. Hemantika Wahi, AOR
Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma, AOR
Ms. Taruna Ardhendumauli Prasad, AOR
Mr. Shubham Bhalla, AOR
Mrs. Anil Katiyar, AOR
Ms. Preetika Dwivedi, AOR
Mr. Sandeep Sudhakar Deshmukh, AOR
Mr. Malak Manish Bhatt, AOR
Ms. Sneha Kalita, AOR
Ms. Manisha Ambwani, AOR
M/S. Parekh & Co., AOR
Mr. Mukul Kumar, AOR
M/S. Arputham Aruna And Co, AOR
Ms. Mukti Chaudhry, AOR
UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following
O R D E R
We have heard the learned Additional Solicitor General (ASG) along with the respective counsel appearing for various States, Union Territories, and the High Courts.
We have also perused the directions sought for by the learned Amicus Curiae. The said directions are relevant for all the 6 stakeholders, including the States, the Union Territories, the Registrar General of the respective High Courts as well as the Union of India. An exhaustive exercise has been carried out by the learned Amicus Curiae along with his associates. We thus, place our appreciation for them on record.
The learned Amicus Curiae submits that some of the States and the Union Territories have not notified the ‘Witness Protection Scheme’ as mandated under Section 398 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short, ‘the BNSS, 2023’). The States and the Union Territories who have not complied with the said mandate are listed under ‘Annexure-B’ of the compilation filed by the learned Amicus Curiae.
Accordingly, a direction is issued to the concerned States and Union Territories to comply with the mandate under Section 398 of the BNSS, 2023, by notifying the ‘Witness Protection Scheme’. The needful shall be done within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.
On the directions sought for by the learned Amicus Curiae, we direct the Union of India, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to facilitate a meeting with due participation of the learned ASG, a nominee of the Chief Secretary of the States and the Union Territories, the Director General of Police of the States and the Union Territories, and the Registrar General of the respective High Courts or their nominee(s).
In pursuance of the same, the MHA shall indicate a date during this month for the said meeting. After due consultation with all the relevant stakeholders, the MHA shall arrive at a conclusion 7 regarding the best practices to be adopted with respect to the implementation of the directions sought for. The said meeting can take place virtually, through Video Conferencing.
The Registry is directed to upload the directions sought for as contained in the compilation filed by the learned Amicus Curiae, on the official website of the Supreme Court of India.
The Registry shall also communicate the order passed by us, along with a copy of the paperbook which the learned Amicus Curiae has filed containing the directions sought for, to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of States and the Union Territories, as well as to the Registrar Generals of the respective High Courts.
List these matters on 13.05.2026.
(SWETA BALODI) (POONAM VAID) ASTT. REGISTRAR-cum-PS ASSISTANT REGISTRAR