CHENNAI: Law Minister S Regupathy announced in the Assembly on Friday that one special court will be established each in 14 districts for exclusive trial of cases filed under the Pocso Act, in three phases.
The districts to get the special courts in the cadre of district judge are Chennai, Erode, Kallakurichi, Tiruchy, Tiruppur, Krishnagiri, Ranipet, Tirupathur, Mayiladuthurai, Kancheepuram, Namakkal, Tiruvarur, Ramanathapuram and Nilgiris.
In another announcement, the minister said Rs 13.03 lakh will be allotted towards one-year subscription fee for an AI software for the use of 325 prosecuting officers in the Directorate of Prosecution.
“It will ease the internet search for the old court judgments and law-related research works,” he informed.
He also announced the annual maintenance grant for buildings of the prisons and correctional services departments will be increased from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore.
In his reply to the debate on demands for grants, minister Regupathy said, “There are 141 prisons in the state. The authorised accommodation in these prisons is 24,513 and currently there are 21,865 prisoners.”
Emphasising that the department has been encouraging book reading habits among the prisoners and through the Book Bank scheme about 1 lakh books have been received for the libraries in the prisons.
He also informed that Chief Minister MK Stalin donated 1,500 books to the prison libraries on Friday.
Pointing to the jobs like weaving, farming, footwear manufacturing, running petrol bunks and others, Regupathy said, “Prisoners are earning equivalent to what they can earn for their families monthly. Through this, their families are benefiting.”
Regupathy also said only the union government can conduct the caste-based census and only that will be valid legally. He also added that the union government should conduct a caste-based census in 2026.