Pocso: Justice moves at snail's pace

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Delay in receiving forensic analysis report has hindered the progress of 1,370 cases registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, in various districts in the state.

Though the Section 35 (2) of the Act says that special courts trying Pocso cases should dispose, as far as possible, the cases within a period of one year from the date of taking cognisance, 757 cases are pending for more than one year without the report.

The details of the pending cases (accessed by TOI) were collected from various Pocso courts by a high court-appointed committee, led by a high court judge, to regulate and monitor the progress of trials under the Act.

The highest number of pending cases is in the capital district where 463 cases are awaiting forensic reports. Of the 463, 110 cases are pending for more than a year.

The highest number of cases pending in court for more than a year is in Kollam— 216 of 249 cases.

Kasaragod has the least number of pending cases. All the four pending cases in the northern district are awaiting forensic reports for more than a year now.

Other than the permanent forensic laboratories functioning in Kerala , the state is coming up with a regional forensic science laboratory (RFSL) on the lines of central forensic science laboratory in Hyderabad.

At present, the laboratory has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram and two fully-functional regional forensic science labs at Thrissur and Kannur. There are 19 district mobile forensic labs (DMFL) in all police districts.

The headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram consists eleven divisions — physics, ballistics, biology, serology, DNA, document, civil, cyber, chemistry, explosives and polygraph.

But in many cases, the samples are sent to CFSL in Hyderabad which is more equipped than the state laboratory.

Sources said that lack of manpower is one of the key reasons for the delay in bringing out the forensic reports as the labs are already overburdened with cases.

Meanwhile, number of cases being registered under Pocso Act is on the rise.

In 2018, 3,174 cases were registered under the Pocso Act across the state, while the figure stood at 2,697 and 2,122 in 2017 and 2016, respectively.

State police chief Loknath Behera said: “Kerala is a state where the number of cases registered is high, and therefore the number of cases referred to the forensic laboratory is also high. We need at least 500 hands in the forensic laboratory, while what we have is approximately 150. Pocso cases are among the several cases being referred to forensic science laboratory. ”

Forensic science laboratory director M A Latha Devi refused to comment.