Mysuru is set to get a second special court for cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, or POCSO, as the district judiciary moves to address a backlog of more than 600 cases and reduce delays for child survivors. The new District and Sessions Court FTSC-2 will begin functioning at the old district court complex next to the advocates’ association and opposite the FTSC-1 court.
The renovated building, which previously housed the JMFC 3rd Court, has been provided for the new court. Its inauguration is scheduled for 10.30 am on Wednesday, October 28, with Principal District and Sessions Judge B. Jayanthkumar expected to conduct the ceremony, according to Prajavani’s report.
B.K. Ravikanth, who was serving as a judge of the Labour Court, has been appointed judge of the new POCSO special court. Cases will be distributed between the two special courts on a police-station basis, according to information cited in the report.
Mysuru already has a dedicated POCSO special court, created in response to the rising number of cases involving alleged offences against minors. A judge, government prosecutors and other required staff had been provided for the existing court. The second court is being brought into operation after the district judiciary sought additional courts to reduce the workload.
The proposal for additional courts was submitted by the Principal District and Sessions Court to the government through the High Court. The request specifically included a separate court for cases registered under the POCSO Act. The move follows a reported requirement under Supreme Court and High Court guidelines that special courts be established in districts where more than 100 POCSO cases are pending.
Advocate P.J. Raghavendra said the demand for another court had existed for several years because of the growing number of cases. He said the additional court would help reduce the pressure of pending cases and allow trials to proceed more quickly.
The advocate also said that faster hearings could reduce the amount of time child survivors and their families have to repeatedly visit the court, limiting the additional mental distress associated with prolonged proceedings. The new arrangement is intended to improve the speed of hearings in cases involving offences against children.
The existing special POCSO court recently conducted an expedited trial in the rape and murder case of a girl who had come with her family to sell balloons. The court sentenced the accused to death, according to the report.
The report describes Mysuru as one of the Karnataka districts recording the highest number of POCSO cases, citing sources familiar with the matter. With the second court now being inaugurated, the immediate administrative step will be the allocation of pending cases between the two courts and the commencement of proceedings under the new judicial arrangement.
