Madras High Court Flags 'Alarming Trend' Of Child Welfare Officials, Police Allegedly Inducing Children To Accuse Fathers Of Sexual Abuse

While granting bail to a father who was accused of allegedly sexually assaulting his daughter, the Madras High Court recently observed that there was an alarming trend where officials attached to the Child Welfare Committee, shelter homes, etc., were insisting children to make sexual abuse allegations against their fathers. Justice KK Ramakrishnan noted that in many cases, the children might be approaching these authorities only to ventilate their grievances relating to the domestic discord happening between their parents. However, instead of addressing the issue appropriately, officers were compelling victims to make sexual misconduct accusations against their own family members. “While perusing the statement of the victim, this Court painfully notices an alarming trend in certain cases involving allegations against fathers, wherein some officials attached to the Child Welfare Committee, shelter homes, or even police personnel appear to insist upon or induce the child victims to make allegations of sexual abuse against their fathers,” court noted. The court added that such conduct amounts to gross abuse of official power, which not only traumatises the child but also undermines the sanctity of the process contemplated under the child protection laws. The court added that the object of child helpline mechanism is to protect a distressed child with immediate assistance, and the same could not be misused in a manner causing further mental trauma to the child. The court underlined that false allegations not just result in damage to reputation but also cause severe psychological trauma and legal entanglements. “The object of the “1098” Child Helpline mechanism is to protect children in distress and to provide immediate assistance, care, and counselling. The said mechanism cannot be permitted to be misused in a manner causing further mental trauma and ignominy to children by compelling them to make false allegations. False allegations carry devastating consequences resulting in reputational damage severe psychological trauma and legal entanglements,” the court said. The court thus directed the chief secretary to formulate suitable guidelines to all authorities dealing with children, including officials responding to complaints received through “1098” Child Helpline Number, officials attached to the Child Welfare Committees, shelter homes, and police personnel, directing them to record statements of children in a fair and transparent manner without inducing, tutoring or coercing them to make false allegations against any person, including family member. The court made the directions in a bail petition filed by a father who was accused for alleged offences under Sections 7 read with 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The father was arrested on April 16, 2026 and was lodged in District Jail. The father informed the court that he had not committed any offence. He submitted that he had scolded his daughter for continuously using phone all day, which resulted in frequent quarrels between him and his wife. He submitted that in this background, the child contacted “1098' helpline and subsequently, at the insistence of the officials, a false complaint was lodged against the father. The court perused the statement of the victim girl under Section 164 of CrPC and noted that even in the statement, the child had stated that the officer who attended her call had insisted that she give a complaint as though her father had subjected her to “bad touch”. The court also noted that the victim was confined in a shelter home for 5 days and was intimidated by the officials attached to the Child Welfare Committee that unless she gave a complaint against her father, action would be taken against her. The court noted that the child's statement would disclose that she was subjected to pressure and coercion to make allegations against her father. Noting the victim's statement and the period of incarceration by the father, the court was inclined to grant him bail. The court also directed the Inspector General of Police, South Zone, to conduct an enquiry against the officer attached to the Child Welfare Committee, District Collector, Virudhunagar District, and the officer who attended the “1098” call and insisted the victim to make false allegations against her father and submit a report. The court also directed the District Collector, Virudhunagar to pay a compensation of Rs. 1,00,000 to the victim for the mental trauma undergone by her, compelling her to make allegations against her father. Counsel for Petitioner: Ms.K.Asha Counsel for Respondent: Mr.S.Ravi Additional Public Prosecutor Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 209 Case Title: B Gurunathan v The State Case No: Crl.O.P(MD).No.9466 of 2026Click Here To Read/Download The Judgment

Madras High Court Flags 'Alarming Trend' Of Child Welfare Officials, Police Allegedly Inducing Children To Accuse Fathers Of Sexual Abuse

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Madras High Court Flags 'Alarming Trend' Of Child Welfare Officials, Police Allegedly Inducing Children To Accuse Fathers Of Sexual Abuse

Upasana Sajeev

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