Chennai, Aug 22:
Tamil Nadu will establish 17 Special Courts exclusively for cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, as part of a broader judicial infrastructure expansion announced by Law Minister R Nirmalkumar in the Assembly on Friday.
Replying to the debate on the demands for grants for his department, Nirmalkumar said the move was aimed at speeding up the trial of POCSO cases and addressing the backlog in districts where such cases have accumulated.
Of the 17 courts, three will be established in Ariyalur, Perambalur and Pudukkottai, while the remaining 14 courts will be set up in districts with a high pendency of POCSO cases.
The government has earmarked Rs 25.30 crore for establishing the 17 courts.
The 14 additional POCSO courts will be established in Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Kallakurichi, Kanniyakumari, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tiruvallur and Tirunelveli, with two courts in Madurai.
The expansion is intended to provide dedicated judicial capacity for cases involving sexual offences against children and help reduce delays in trials.
The State government will also establish four special courts for cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Three of these courts will come up in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Vellore, while another special court will be established in Chennai.
The government has allocated Rs 6.73 crore for the NDPS special courts.
As part of the judicial expansion, the government will establish a special court in Erode to deal with cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The State will also establish an additional district court at Perundurai.
Three new subordinate courts will come up at Sholinghur, Natham and Gummidipoondi, further expanding the State’s lower judiciary.
The announcements form part of the Tamil Nadu government’s efforts to strengthen the judicial system by creating specialised courts for sensitive and legally complex cases, while adding capacity in districts facing significant case pendency.