Madras High Court issues rulings on medical testimony and rosewood conservation

The Madras High Court has issued two distinct directives affecting legal and environmental protocols in Tamil Nadu.

In a ruling concerning POCSO cases, the Madurai Bench directed the Tamil Nadu Health Department to establish detailed guidelines for government doctors serving as medical expert witnesses. The decision follows a case where inconsistencies in medical evidence and insufficient wound certificate details impacted a trial. The court emphasized that medical findings are critical to criminal proceedings and instructed the Health Secretary and Director of Medical Education to ensure doctors provide clear, unambiguous, and accurate professional opinions in court.

Separately, the Madras High Court has stayed a government order that sought to repeal the Tamil Nadu Rosewood Trees (Conservation) Act, 1994. A division bench halted the order, which would have allowed the felling of rosewood on private lands, noting that the species is rare and difficult to regenerate. The court ordered that the government order be kept in abeyance and prohibited the removal of rosewood trees until further notice.