Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the appointment of four special public prosecutors for trials in POCSO cases, days after he recalled the related files from the Delhi government over alleged delay in issuing a necessary notification in this regard, Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday.
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The Lieutenant-Governor received the files from the Delhi government after a nine-month delay for approval, the officials added.
Taking a “serious note” of the delay, the Lieutenant-Governor had earlier referred the files to the Ministry of Home Affairs for necessary appointments under Section 24(8) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), according to a Raj Niwas source.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had last December requested for a notification for the appointment of senior public prosecutors (SPPs) under Section 32 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for trials in various courts and a reminder was sent on March 15 this year.
‘Bid to bypass govt.’
Reacting to the development, sources in the Delhi government said the appointment of special public prosecutors was pending because the Lieutenant-Governor and other officials tried to bypass the Delhi government in appointing the special public prosecutors for the trials in POCSO cases.
“Instead of the Delhi Minister, he sent the appointment file directly to the Union Home Ministry. Since the right to appoint special public prosecutors lies with the State government, the Union Home Ministry refused to appoint them, after which the file came to the Minister. Because of this, it took a lot of time,” a source said.