Over 30 Posco cases awaiting trial in court; two accused get 10 years RI

Posco- Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses. Under this Act, as many as 30 cases are awaiting trial in child-friendly courts due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Due to the spread of coronavirus, the survivors cannot be called to the court for trials. When summoned for the trial, at least five members from the family come with the girl and it is the same on the offender’s side as well. It will be very difficult to manage and is a huge risk keeping the situation in mind,” said Posco legal support officer Spandana Sadasivuni.

She further added that survivors are not being called for the past four months. The cases scheduled for trial in February are stuck since then. Currently, more than 30 cases are ready for the trial.

Also, it is said that only urgent matters are being heard. Recently, convictions in three Posco cases were pronounced. In June, after the court started taking up cases, a home guard was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor in 2018.

In another case, a private school teacher, in 2015, had asked a boy, his student to come home to collect some books and then sexually assaulted him. The teacher has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.