Tamil Nadu to set up 17 new POCSO courts, special NDPS courts

Law Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar announced in the Assembly on Friday that the Tamil Nadu government will establish 17 new special courts for the exclusive trial of POCSO cases. This comprises three new special courts and 14 additional special courts in districts with high case pendency. The 14 courts will come up in Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Kallakurichi, Kanniyakumari, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tiruvallur, and Tirunelveli, besides two in districts not specified in the announcement. According to a recent submission by Tamil Nadu police before the High Court, 18,518 POCSO cases were pending trial, with 10,202 pending for over a year. The police also noted that 20 districts lacked sanctioned special courts exclusively for POCSO cases. The government will also establish special courts for the exclusive trial of NDPS Act cases in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Vellore, and Chennai at a cost of Rs 6.73 crore.