On a PIL flagging delays in child sexual abuse probes, the Delhi High Court has directed the Commissioner of Police to decide within three months on a proposal for dedicated POCSO investigation teams in every police district of the capital.
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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed the Commissioner of Delhi Police to take appropriate steps, within three months, on a representation seeking dedicated POCSO investigation teams in every police district of Delhi, while disposing of a public interest litigation on delays in the investigation of offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 [Zuber Ali v. Union of India and Anr.].
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia passed the order on September 23, 2026, after Delhi Police told the Court that the representation was already being considered.
The plea
The petitioner, Zuber Ali, approached the Court over what he described as persistent delays in POCSO investigations. His counsel pointed out that Section 35 of the POCSO Act requires a child’s evidence to be recorded within 30 days of the Special Court taking cognizance, and the trial to be completed, as far as possible, within a year of cognizance.
It was also submitted that Section 193(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 requires investigation into offences under Sections 4, 6, 8 and 10 of the POCSO Act to be completed within two months from the date the information is recorded by the officer in charge of the police station. According to the petition, there were numerous instances where investigating agencies had failed to finish within that period, and dedicated POCSO investigation teams should therefore be set up in every police district.
Before filing the PIL, the petitioner had sent a representation dated September 5, 2026 to the Commissioner of Police, raising the issue and suggesting measures to ensure timely investigation of POCSO cases.
Police say representation under consideration
Counsel for the Union of India and Delhi Police, on instructions, informed the Bench that the representation was being attended to and that the necessary consultation and other processes were underway. Noting that Delhi Police was already aware of the grievances raised, the Court did not go into the merits and disposed of the petition with a direction:
“We dispose of the present Petition with a direction to the Commissioner of Police to take appropriate steps taking into account the suggestions mentioned therein by the Petitioner. The said decision be taken within a period of three months from date.”
The Court also asked counsel for Delhi Police to communicate the order to the Commissioner of Police forthwith.
Why The POCSO Investigation Teams Order Matters
The POCSO Act and the BNSS set tight timelines because delay in child sexual abuse cases does lasting harm: evidence weakens, child witnesses are kept in the system longer, and trials stretch on. The PIL put the gap between those statutory deadlines and day-to-day investigation squarely before the Court.
The order does not itself mandate dedicated teams. It follows the familiar course of sending a policy suggestion to the authority best placed to decide it, but with a fixed three-month deadline that makes the Commissioner answerable for a decision. It comes as the Supreme Court, in its suo motu case on sexual offences in Delhi-NCR, is separately scrutinising police preparedness and the functioning of fast track and POCSO courts in the capital.
Case Title: Zuber Ali v. Union of India and Anr. [W.P.(C) No. 14003 of 2026]
Bench: Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, Delhi High Court
Date of Order: September 23, 2026
Appearances: Advocates Umang Tyagi, Siddharth Sharma and Zuber Ali for the petitioner; Advocates Vinay Yadav and Ansh Kalra for the Union of India and Delhi Police
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