Team News Riveting
Patna, January 2
Mrs Chhaya Mishra, former joint secretary of Advocates Association and a woman lawyer in Patna High Court on Saturday suggested that the state government should appoint women IPS officers to monitor the investigation of the cases registered under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
She said the appointment of women IPS officers would help decrease the pendency of the cases under the Act in different courts in Bihar. She claimed the rate of conviction under the Act was as low as 3.5 per cent.
Mrs Mishra said over 13000 cases were pending trial in Patna alone. According to the latest data of the National Crime Record Bureau, pendency of cases was very high in Bhagalpur, Nalanda, East and West Champaran, Muzaffarpur,Madhubani, Gaya, Saran, Purnia, Katihar, Rohtas districts.
She exhorted that the government should open one stop support centres for the victims in all the districts. Trial in all cases under the Act should be disposed off within a year. Government should strengthen the tracking system for investigations into the offences related to aggravated sexual assault, child pornography too.
She said Bihar had 22 special courts, but there are 38 districts. These special courts are confined only to deal with the cases registered in 11 districts only.
Mrs Chhaya Mishra said the state government, high court and the jail directorate should also take note of the violations of the Act in juvenile centres, general prisons too, where young people are sent to judicial custody during trial and are sexually assaulted by the professional criminals to satisfy their carnal desires.
She cautioned, there should be enough safeguard to ensure the provisions of the Act were not abused to wreak personal vengeance. With the help of women IPS officers monitoring the investigations, such apprehensions can be wiped out during the investigation stage itself, Mrs Chhaya Mishra added.
