‘Will release Rs 23 lakh to set up more POCSO courts’

The government of Maharashtra on Friday assured the Bombay high court that it would release funds within the next three days for setting up more courts to deal with cases of sexual assault against children. The state also told the court that it would take steps for fire safety and cleanliness in lower courts across the state.

The division bench headed by Justice Abhay S. Oka was hearing PIL filed by the Litigants Association of Maharashtra, which has claimed that basic facilities like clean drinking water, toilets etc. are not available in several courts.

On Friday, the state government assured the court that it would release Rs 23 lakh within next three days to form two more courts in Mumbai to deal with cases registered under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. The court was also informed that steps needed to be taken to ensure that the accused in POCSO cases do not roam freely in front of victims. As of now there are no special arrangements where the accused are kept away from the sight of victims and in such cases they could be scared to see the accused.

In respect of court infrastructure, the government pleader told the court that soon 81 water purifiers would be installed in courts across Maharashtra.

Earlier, the high court had said that barring a few courts, most had high footfall and litigants and witnesses had to wait for a long time. There are space constraints in some courts but some system needs to be worked out for having a cleaner environment, it had said. Recently, the government sanctioned 179 posts of new judges in lower courts. However, advocates have raised concerns over space for the additional staff and providing basic facilities to them.