15 POCSO courts inaugurated in Odisha
Cuttack, Jul 1 (PTI) Odisha Chief Justice S Muralidhar On Thursday virtually inaugurated several courts in the state, including 15 fast-track special courts to deal with cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The courts will function under the district judgeships Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kendrapara, Khurda, Koraput, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Sambalpur, a release issued by the Orissa High Court registry said.
The Supreme Court has been constantly issuing directives to the state government to set up fast-track courts as hundreds of child sexual abuse cases are pending in several districts, officials said.
According to a report submitted in the apex court last year, there were at least 20 districts in Odisha where 200 or more POCSO cases have been pending for over a year. The Odisha government had released funds for setting up at least 22 POCSO courts.
