New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Supreme Court of India on Saturday, March 28, 2026, issued a stern directive to all High Courts and trial courts to strictly maintain the anonymity of sexual assault survivors in judicial records. A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh expressed “strong exception” after discovering that the identity of a nine-year-old girl from Himachal Pradesh had been freely disclosed throughout the legal proceedings of her case. The court termed this a “disturbing fact” and a blatant violation of Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalizes the disclosure of a victim’s identity to prevent social stigma.
In its March 24 verdict, the apex court attributed these recurring lapses to a “general indifference” and a “lack of awareness” among the lower judiciary regarding the deep stigma faced by survivors of sexual offences. The Bench pointed out that the mandate laid down in the landmark Nipun Saxena vs. Union of India (2018) case—which prohibits the publication of a victim’s name or any identifying facts in print, electronic, or social media—is still not being followed. Consequently, the court directed all Registrars General of High Courts to ensure that names of survivors and their families are redacted from all pending and past court orders.
Beyond the procedural reprimand, the Supreme Court set aside a previous acquittal by the Himachal Pradesh High Court and restored the conviction of the accused, Hukum Chand (alias Monu). The High Court had earlier overturned the trial court’s 10-year sentence, citing “minor discrepancies” in the evidence. However, the top court ruled that the trial court’s original conviction under Section 376 IPC and the SC/ST Act was sound, ordering the accused to surrender immediately to serve the remainder of his term.
