Chennai, Nov 1 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has ordered the establishment of 26 additional special courts exclusively to try cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, strengthening the judicial infrastructure to speed up trials and ensure timely justice for victims.
The courts, approved following directions from Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, will be established at a cost of Rs 46.59 crore.
The government has also sanctioned four new special courts to handle cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
According to an official statement, the decision to expand the POCSO court network followed a review chaired by the Chief Minister on cases pending across the state.
During the meeting, Vijay examined the status of cases and assessed the requirement for additional courts dedicated to trying child sexual abuse offences. He directed officials to take immediate steps to establish POCSO courts across all districts, accelerate investigations and ensure that those found guilty receive punishment in accordance with the law.
Tamil Nadu currently has 22 functioning special POCSO courts, while four more are set to become operational.
The latest sanction covers 12 new special courts and 14 additional special courts, taking the planned statewide strength to 52. These courts will serve the state’s 47 police districts and exclusively hear cases registered under the POCSO Act.
The government said the expansion would help address the backlog, facilitate faster trials and strengthen efforts to prevent such offences.
The statement said the administration had been pursuing various initiatives to combat crimes against women and children, ensure prompt legal action against offenders and provide victims with justice within a reasonable timeframe.
Separately, the government approved four additional NDPS courts as part of its “Drug-Free Tamil Nadu” campaign, which seeks to curb drug trafficking and consumption. One special court each will be established in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Vellore, while Chennai will receive an additional special court.
The state currently has 11 special courts dealing with NDPS cases. The government said the fresh sanction reflected the need to accelerate the trial and disposal of pending drug cases. The additional courts are intended to strengthen judicial proceedings and support the state’s wider anti-drug efforts. Together, the two decisions will expand the capacity of the justice system to handle child sexual abuse and narcotics cases, the statement said.
–IANS
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