To fast-track rape & POCSO cases, HC posts judicial officers

Saurabh Malik

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 27

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the posting of seven judicial officers from Punjab and 14 judicial officers of Haryana for “fast-track special courts” for trying rape cases and other offences registered under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Available information suggests in Haryana, the Courts have been established at Ambala, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurugram, Jind, Karnal, Mewat, Palwal, Panipat, Rohtak, Sonepat, Yamunanagar, Fatehabad , Hisar, Kuruksherta and Sirsa.

In Punjab, four special Courts for fast-tracking rape cases have been established in Ludhiana, followed by one each in Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ferozepur.

The courts have been established for a year in accordance with a scheme formulated by the Ministry of Law and Justice in view of directions issued by the SC in a suo motu case in reference to rise in the number of reported child rape incidents.

The SC had in July last year said it appeared from the reports of the amicus curiae that one of the major causes for slow investigations and trials was delay in receipt of the reports from the forensic science laboratory. The Bench also referred to amicus curiae’s suggestion on designated forensic science laboratories in every district of the country for the purposes of POCSO Act.

The Bench then directed the directors of the state forensic science laboratories and the authority concerned in the state government to ensure that the existing and available forensic science laboratories in each state functioned in an effective manner insofar as analysis etc. of the samples collected under POCSO Act were concerned.

Directions were also issued to send the reports of such analysis promptly and sans any delay. The Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs were also directed to comply with the directions.

“We would expect our above-stated directions to be implemented and exclusively designated courts to try offences under POCSO Act, in terms of the above directions, to start functioning within 60 days from the date of the present order,” the Bench had said.