A first-of-its-kind court to exclusively handle cases booked under the POCSO (Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences) Act was inaugurated in the city on Wednesday.
Principal District and Sessions Judge B.S. Bhanumathi inaugurated the court in the presence of Justice A.V. Parthasarathi, the designated judge for the special POCSO court, and other judges. The court, set up on the directive of the Supreme Court, is among eight such courts allotted for the State and will be housed in one of the Special CBI Courts in the VMRDA building.
SC guidelines
According to the guidelines of the Supreme Court, the State has to set up 18 special courts, which include 10 Fast-Track Special Courts and eight courts that would exclusively deal with cases booked under the POCSO Act.
These eight courts will deal with cases pertaining to rape and sexual assault against minors, while the other 10 FTSCs will deal with other rape cases, including POCSO if required, said Special Public Prosecutor for POCSO cases M. Venugopal Rao.
“The earlier practice in the district was that cases under POCSO would be dealt by the First and Second Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court. From now on, this court will deal with these cases,” Mr. Venugopal Rao said.
Court officials said that there are currently about 200 cases registered under the POCSO Act that are in various stages of the trial process in the district.
“With the setting up of an exclusive court, we can expect the trial to be more focused resulting in quick disposal,” said a senior judge.
The POCSO Act was included in the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act to ensure that justice is delivered expeditiously to victims and the culprits be meted out stringent punishment.
“As per the Act, the statement of the victim is to be filed by the investigating officer within one month from the date of recording of the offence with the police. The investigation has to be completed within two months, and the trial has to be completed within six months. The case itself has to be disposed of within one year,” Mr. Venugopal said.
2,800 cases pending
“In the last one year we were able to dispose of close to 30 cases,” he said.
In Andhra Pradesh, as of June 30, about 2,800 cases booked under the POCSO Act are still pending.
