LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court recently issued directives to Legal Services Committee of the court to try and appoint women advocate to represent the victims of cases lodged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The court said the practice should be followed especially in the case where the victim is a minor girl. Heading the single judge bench, Justice Ajay Bhanot observed that although the Legal
Services Committee had empanelled counsel to represent such victims, but very few lady counsels were appearing in such cases on behalf of minor girls.
The single-judge bench was hearing a bail plea of a petitioner booked for rape under Section 376 of Indian Penal Code, provisions of the POCSO Act as well as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
He had been in jail since June 8, 2021 and his bail plea was rejected by the Jaunpur trial court on April 5, 2022.
The bench on considering the application, noted that the offence was grave as the victim was speech impaired and the likelihood of the applicant committed the offence was corroborated by the records. “At this stage, no case for bail is made out,” said Justice Bhanot.
He also issued directives to the trial court to hear the case on a day-to-day basis and conclude the trial within a year and submit a fortnightly report in High Court on the progress of the case.
Justic Bhanot also asked police and administrative authorities of the state to scrupulously ensure the presence of the witnesses on the appointed date before the trial court.
The accused was represented by Advocate Ram Prakash Upadhyay while the victim was represented by Advocate Raj Bahadur Verma.