91 courtrooms for vulnerable witnesses ready: Govt to HC

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government told the Bombay high court that of the 202 ‘vulnerable witness courtrooms’ proposed to be constructed in the state, work on 91 has been completed.

In such courtrooms, required by rules about trials of sexual offenses among other cases, the witness and the accused do not come face-to-face.

State government’s lawyer Manish Pable told a bench of chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice N.M. Jamdar that work on 91 such courtrooms is over, whereas 78 courtrooms is likely be completed by August, and tenders have been invited for remaining courtrooms.

The state has allocated `82 crore for the work, he informed. Two child-friendly and vulnerable witness courtrooms have already been constructed in Mumbai — one in the city civil and sessions court premises in South Mumbai, and another at the Dindoshi sessions court, the government said.

The court was hearing a suo motu petition following the directions of the Supreme Court to all high courts to consider establishing such courts in each district.

Such courtrooms are required under several laws, including the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, to ensure that children or vulnerable witnesses can depose without fear.

In February last year, the Supreme Court had asked the chief justices of all the high courts to ensure that all provisions under the JJ Act, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and the provisions under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for trials of sexual offences be implemented in full spirit.