In a recent development, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam of the Calcutta High Court has called for increased sensitivity from judicial officers towards cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act). The Chief Justice made these remarks during the inauguration of a new court complex of the Additional District and Sessions Judge, 2nd Court, Baruipur, South 24 Parganas.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Justice Sivagnanam highlighted the high number of pending cases, which necessitated the construction of the new court complex. He stated, “From the statistics given to me, before the Committee, [when] the Zonal Judge recommended for an additional court, the pendency statistics were taken into consideration. It was reported that there are about 2,500 civil cases and 1,700 sessions cases which were pending. This necessitated the construction of a new court complex. Further it says that out of the total cases, 1,032 are POCSO Act cases.”
The Chief Justice also pointed out that the Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized the importance of dealing with POCSO cases on a ‘top priority’ basis. He noted that a committee headed by Supreme Court Judge, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, was recently constituted to prepare a training module for the sensitization of judges handling such sensitive cases.
He advised the judges,
“Time and again, Supreme Court has been exhorting us that State Judicial Academy should give training to judges at various levels, who handle such cases, to be sensitive. Very recently I received a communication from Supreme Court Judge, Justice Amanullah, who is heading a SC committee, where they are preparing a module for training of judges who handle such sensitive cases, with particular reference to trafficking of human beings. The SC has called for views for all the states and I have placed the matter before the WB Judicial Academy. That is the importance being given by the SC to such sensitive cases.”
Justice Sivagnanam urged the judges to give sensitive and utmost priority to POCSO cases and to take necessary care in deciding these cases, as the procedure is often the main point of contention in appeals against orders of conviction.
The Chief Justice also highlighted the importance of reducing the backlog of cases and suggested that no case should be left pending for over 20 years. He advised the judges to physically verify all case files in their courts at least twice a month, which he believes will help in faster disposal and reduce pendency, thereby increasing faith and confidence in the judicial system.