"Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam Urges Judicial Officers to Enhance Sensitivity in POCSO Cases and Human Trafficking Matters"
During the inauguration ceremony of the new additional sessions court in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam of the Calcutta High Court emphasized the need for judicial officers to display heightened sensitivity in cases related to the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and human trafficking. Stressing the significance of adhering to proper procedures, the Chief Justice noted that procedural lapses in trial courts often become the focus of appeals filed in higher courts for POCSO cases. He underscored the Supreme Court's previous directives on providing appropriate training to judges dealing with such cases and highlighted the establishment of a committee, led by Supreme Court Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, tasked with developing a training module for judges handling sensitive cases. The Chief Justice also urged judges to stay updated on recent judgments and familiarize themselves with the latest settled laws concerning trial procedures. He expressed optimism that the new court infrastructure would help reduce the mounting backlog of cases, with specific attention to the approximately 1,032 pending cases arising from POCSO. Additionally, he stressed the importance of regular file verification to address discrepancies in online statistics and ensure that no case remains pending for over 20 years. The Chief Justice concluded by emphasizing the benefits that the new infrastructure would bring not only to litigants but also to advocates, as a greater number of cases would be efficiently disposed of.
TAGS: Calcutta High Court Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam sensitivity POCSO cases human trafficking procedural lapses trial court appeals Supreme Court training committee Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah judgments settled law inauguration ceremony additional sessions court Baruipur South 24 Parganas pending cases backlog infrastructure file verification litigants advocates.
