Hyderabad: TS, on Wednesday, got its first child-friendly court in the Nampally Criminal Courts Complex, in the form of room resembling a children’s play area, with brightly-coloured walls and full of toys.
The concept is designed to make a child feel at ease while appearing before the court for deposition as a witness. This special set up, quite distinct from the normal court set up, is designed to protect and insulate children appearing in courts and freely depose since most of the times, the accused in sexual crime against children are either neighbours or relatives.
The child friendly court, which is the first in South India and sixth in the country, was inaugurated by Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan of the Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday.
DGP Anurag Sharma explained that a majority of the cases ended with acquittals because of the fear in the minds of children though they were either victim or crucial witnesses in many of the crimes.
Metropolitan Sessions Judge T. Rajani said that though the child cannot see the accused while sharing the same space in the conventional setting of the court room, it would makes him or her uncomfortable and scared.
She said that the police, lawyers and even the judge will be in plain clothes and interact with the children as general persons while recording their statements.
No separate dais was provided for the judge in this court. The judicial officers working in the courts across the twin cities can use the court to record the statements of the children who victims of child abuse or are witnesses in such crimes.
CID I-G Soumya Mishra said that there are 1,640 cases pending in different courts of Telangana under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
