In Kochi No court to attempt child abuse cases

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Kochi: Three years have passed since the central government asked the state to constitute special courts to try cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012.

Till date, the government has not constituted a single court. As per the data provided by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) under the RTI,  so far the state has not convicted a single person under the Act.

In the wake of increase in child abuse cases, the High Court had sent a proposal to the government to constitute a special court four months ago but it is yet to consider the same.

“At present, there are no special courts to try POCSO cases. The principal session’s courts are dealing with the cases related to such offences,” said Registrar-General of Kerala High Court S. Jagadees.

In an RTI reply to S. Dhanraj of Kochi, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights stated that the state had not provided any information yet on the number of cases registered and convictions under the Act.

The principal session’s judges are already burdened with several cases leading to the delay in completing the cases. As per the POCSO Act, the investigative agency should help the courts in completing the trial of the case within one year.

The RTI reply shows that the state continues to turn a blind eye to the court directive on trying cases related to the rape of minor girls.

The government, after the Delhi rape case, had constituted a special court in Kochi to consider sexual abuse cases against women and promised more courts in the state.

The plan was to start new courts in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. Till date, it has not constituted new courts.