A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, 1 May, issued directions to all high courts of the country regarding cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Supreme Court of India (Photo: IANS/File)
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court issued directions on Tuesday, 1 May, to all high courts of the country regarding cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud asked the high courts to ensure that cases under the Act are decided by special courts and are fast-tracked.
The high courts have been given specific instructions to form a committee of three judges to monitor and regulate the trial of cases under POCSO Act and instruct trial courts not to grant unnecessary adjournments in such cases.
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The apex court’s instructions came in response to a PIL filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava. During the hearing, the court was told that 112,628 cases under POCSO Act were pending before trial courts across the country.
Uttar Pradesh has the highest number, 30,883, of such cases, followed by Maharashtra (including Goa, Union Territory of Diu and Daman, Dadar and Nagar Haveli) with 16,099 pending cases.
Madhya Pradesh with 10,117, West Bengal with 9,894, Odisha with 6,849, Delhi with 6,100, Kerala (including UT of Lakshadweep) with 5,409, Gujarat with 5,177, Bihar with 4,910 and Karnataka with 4,045 are the other states with pending cases.
The Bench also directed the directors general or commissioners of police in the states to set up special task forces so that investigation was carried out expeditiously and witnesses produced in the court on the date of their appearance.
Additional Solicitor General Pinki Anand informed the court that the government had amended the law providing for death penalty for the rape of children younger than 12.
The move of the Centre came after a public outcry for award of death penalty to such sexual offenders, including those who raped and killed an 8-year-old girl in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir in January this year.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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