HC judge opens Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centre at Judicial Court Complex

Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Administrative Judge for Gurdaspur today inaugurated the Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centre (VWDC) in the Judicial Court Complex here on Thursday.

Rajinder Aggarwal, District and Sessions Judge and other judges were present on the occasion.

Justice Sethi said that the VWDC has been constituted as per Witness Protection Scheme, 2018, which aims to provide safety to witnesses based on their threat assessment.

Vulnerable witnesses are those who are below 18 years of age or are victims of rape and sexual offences. Witnesses suffering from mental illness or persons receiving threats are also categorised as vulnerable witnesses.

Justice Sethi said that the Centre would help witnesses “depose without any fear and threat.”

Rajinder Aggarwal said such witnesses will be taken to the court through a special route to ensure the public could not make any contact with them. “There will be separate seating arrangements for these witnesses and added that if they desired, they could record their statement through video conferencing.

Justice Sethi also interacted with the litigants and heard their grievances.