Madras High Court constitutes special bench to monitor implementation of POCSO Act, Juvenile Justice Act

The Madras High Court has constituted a dedicated special bench comprising Justices N Anand Venkatesh and Sunder Mohan to monitor the implementation of provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act (JJ Act).

In an order passed on June 16, the division bench accordingly directed the High Court Registry to notify all lawyers' associations both at the Principal seat in Chennai, as well as the Madurai Bench to "enable the Court to take assistance of the Bar, considering the importance of the issue that is going to be dealt with by this Court."

The bench also directed the Director General of Police (DGP), Tamil Nadu, and the DGP of Pondicherry to submit all data on cases under the two Acts pending at the stage of investigation before the police and the cases which are pending before the Court or, the JJ Board, pertaining to thevictims as well as to juveniles in conflict with law.

The bench was constituted following an order to that effect in April this year by the then Acting Chief Justice T Raja.

The April order in turn had come following a recommendation by now retired Justice PN Prakash and Justice Venkatesh, who at the time, were presiding over a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of a minor girl.

As per the petition, the girl had been subjected to the prohibited 'two finger test,' and sent to a state-run shelter by the Child Welfare Committee after a video showing one of her classmates tying a thali (mangalsutra) around her neck was circulated on social media.

Advocates Deepika Murali and Pratiksha E appeared for the original petitioner in the HCP.