Special POCSO court opened in Mangaluru

Mangaluru: A special court to exclusively handle cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act began functioning in the city on Thursday.

The special court is one of the 17 such courts set up in different districts of Karnataka as per the directive of the Supreme Court.

The apex court had in 2019 ordered that special POCSO courts should be set up in all districts if more than 100 cases under the Act are pending disposal.

The POCSO court was opened in the premises of the district courts complex by the special court judge Savitri V Bhat.

District chief sessions judge Kadlur Satyanarayana Acharya and vice president of bar association H R Raghavendra were present.

According to sources, a total of 185 POCSO cases are pending trial in Dakshina Kannada district, sources said.

The court has been set up in a child-friendly atmosphere with paintings and pictures on walls to prepare the victims mentally during the hearing in harassment cases.