New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Central government to establish dedicated courts on a “top priority basis” to exclusively handle cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, citing widespread delays in trial proceedings due to an insufficient number of such courts.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale expressed concern over the failure to meet legally mandated timelines for filing chargesheets and completing trials in POCSO cases. The court underscored the urgent need for the Union of India and state governments to take concrete steps toward setting up dedicated POCSO courts and sensitising investigation officers involved in such cases.
"It is therefore expected that the Union of India and the state governments shall take appropriate steps to sensitise the officials associated with the investigation of POCSO cases, and also to create dedicated courts to try POCSO cases on a top priority basis," the bench stated.
The court further directed all authorities to ensure that chargesheets are filed within the period prescribed by law and that trials are concluded within the stipulated timeframe.
Although most states had complied with earlier Supreme Court directives and established exclusive POCSO courts with financial support from the Centre, the bench noted that several states — including Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, and Maharashtra — still required additional courts due to a high volume of pending cases.
The directive came while the court was hearing a suo motu petition that highlighted an "alarming rise in the number of reported child rape incidents." Senior advocates V Giri and Uttara Babbar, who were appointed amicus curiae in the matter, were previously instructed to submit state-wise data on the current status of POCSO courts.
The Supreme Court reiterated its earlier order from July 2019, which mandated that each district with more than 100 POCSO-related FIRs must have at least one designated court exclusively handling such cases. It also instructed that districts with more than 300 pending child abuse cases should establish two special courts to ensure expedited justice.
With PTI inputs