455 POCSO cases awaiting completion of trial in Kasaragod

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Kanhangad: Justice delayed is justice denied. True to this maxim, justice has eluded several sexually abused children in Kerala's northernmost Kasaragod district. As many as 455 POCSO cases are awaiting completion of trial and verdict in Kasaragod district, some as old as six years, despite the mandate that the trial should be completed within a year.
What has reportedly led to the huge delay, prolonging the survivors’ wait for justice, was the COVID-19 crisis and the frequent transfer of judges. The huge delay in case disposal is resulting in the families of POSCO victims facing several hardships, including coercion and threats from the accused.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) mandates that the trial in such cases should be completed within a period of one year from the date of registering them. However, cases are piling up in two courts, the District Additional Sessions court and the Fast-Track Special Court (FTSC) in the district for as long as six years.
As per the figures from 2016 onwards, a total of 306 cases are before the Additional Sessions court, while the Special court at Kanhangad has 149 cases. Though the Fast-Track POCSO court in the district started functioning a month ago, there is no significant change in the disposal rate of cases.
Fast-Track Special Courts or FTSCs have disposed more than 1,24,000 POCSO cases nationwide till October, 2022. However, more than 1,93,000 cases are still pending in these courts. This was stated by Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha a few week ago.
The reasons for poor conviction under the POCSO Act include improper investigation, insufficient evidences and witnesses. When key witnesses like family members or victim turn hostile the case is doomed.