Telangana HC seeks state’s affidavit on SOP for trafficking victims

The Telangana High Court has directed the State Government to file an affidavit by February 24 on adopting a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for police during rescue operations of sex trafficking victims.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday recorded the submission of the Telangana police department that it would follow the draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be adopted by police while conducting rescue operations of victims of sex trafficking.

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The Division Bench granted time to the State Government till February 24 to file an affidavit to that effect and, if required, to propose effective changes to the draft SOP placed before the Court.

The matter arises out of a writ petition filed by Prajwala, seeking directions to the authorities to frame clear guidelines while dealing with applications relating to custody and placement of rescued victims in protection homes.

The petitioner also sought a specific direction that persons already identified as organisers or traffickers should not be treated as victims in subsequent rescue operations.

It was contended that perpetrators should not be sent to protective homes or admitted into institutions meant exclusively for victims, as such an approach defeats the very object of rehabilitation.

Appearing for Prajwala, Advocate Deepak Misra earlier placed before the Court a draft SOP highlighting several “tell-tale” indicators to distinguish victims from perpetrators during rescue and post-rescue processes. Senior Counsel L. Ravichander submitted that proper differentiation between victims and traffickers is crucial.

He argued that failure to do so would seriously compromise counselling and rehabilitation efforts, as victims may continue to remain under the exposure and influence of perpetrators even within protective institutions.

The Bench adjourned the matter for further consideration after the State files its affidavit.