The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to file an affidavit clarifying its position on framing standard operating procedures for the effective enforcement of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

A division bench of Justices P. Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda asked the competent authority to inform the court whether the government intends to draft its own SOPs or adopt the draft guidelines submitted by the NGO Prajwala, led by activist Sunitha Krishnan.

The direction came during the hearing of a petition filed by Prajwala, which has sought mandatory SOPs to ensure uniform implementation of the Act across the state. The court has posted the matter for further hearing on February 24.

In its petition, Prajwala has urged the court to direct authorities to lay down clear guidelines while handling applications related to the custody of victims housed in protection homes. The NGO has also sought safeguards to prevent individuals previously identified as traffickers or organisers from being treated as victims in subsequent rescue operations.

During an earlier hearing in December 2025, Prajwala had placed a draft set of SOPs before the government for consideration. The court had then asked the state to clarify through an affidavit whether it was willing to introduce structured guidelines to ensure consistent and effective enforcement of the law.

According to Prajwala, traffickers and organisers should not be sent to protective homes or admitted into institutions meant for rescued victims. The draft SOPs submitted by the NGO include specific indicators intended to help authorities distinguish between victims and perpetrators during rescue and post-rescue processes.