Madras High Court orders day-to-day trials in bonded labour cases

The Madras High Court has directed trial courts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to conduct day-to-day hearings in bonded labour cases once witness examination begins, following a public interest litigation that cited 28 cases pending for over 10 years. The Registrar General issued a circular on July 16, 2026, directing all principal district judges in the two territories to ensure such trials, in line with the Supreme Court's September 2025 judgment in CBI v. Mir Usman. The petition, filed by Thangavel of the Released Bonded Labour Association before the Madurai Bench, argued that trials lasting three to five years — and in some cases a decade — leave rescued workers waiting years for full rehabilitation assistance and vulnerable to falling back into bonded labour. Sources: DTNext, The New Indian Express, The Times of India. (Dtnext, New Indian Express, Times of India)

• The Madras High Court has directed trial courts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to conduct day-to-day hearings in bonded labour cases once witness examination begins, following a public interest litigation that cited 28 cas
• The Registrar General issued a circular on July 16, 2026, directing all principal district judges in the two territories to ensure such trials, in line with the Supreme Court's September 2025 judgment in CBI v.
• Mir Usman.