The Supreme Court on Monday released a report prepared by an expert committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Aniruddha Bose, recommending that courts adopt gender-sensitive and survivor-centric language while deciding sexual offence cases.
The report, “Judgments and Gender: Sensitivity and Compassion in Writing Judgments,” advises judges to avoid expressions such as “prosecutrix,” “lost her chastity,” “helpless woman,” and “outraged her modesty,” and instead use terms like “survivor,” “victim,” “complainant,” “bodily autonomy,” and “sexual assault.”
Based on an analysis of 125 trial court judgments from across the country, the committee found that some judicial orders continued to reflect patriarchal stereotypes and victim-blaming language. It stressed that judicial language plays a crucial role in ensuring fairness, dignity and impartiality, and warned that insensitive expressions can re-traumatise survivors.
The report also cautioned judges against drawing adverse inferences from delayed reporting, the absence of injuries or a survivor’s lack of physical resistance, noting that trauma affects individuals differently. It urged courts to prevent humiliating or intrusive cross-examination, particularly regarding a survivor’s clothing or sexual history.
Among its recommendations, the committee called for replacing phrases rooted in notions of honour and chastity with language centred on consent, dignity and constitutional rights. It also suggested the use of legally precise terms such as “rape” or “sexual assault“ instead of euphemisms like “physical relationship” in cases involving non-consensual acts.
The panel further recommended institutional measures such as pre-trial counselling, in-camera proceedings, witness protection and legal assistance for survivors.
The committee was constituted pursuant to a Supreme Court judgment delivered on February 10, 2026, and comprised Justice Aniruddha Bose, former Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Sonia G. Gokani, former Madhya Pradesh DGP Anuradha Shankar, Supreme Court advocate Dr. Surat Singh, and Professor Lucy T.V. Zehol, with assistance from the National Judicial Academy.
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