VWDCs must in courts to record testimonies: Justice Gita Mittal

Justice Mittal highlighted the need for well-trained staff, including judges and counsellors, to handle vulnerable individuals sensitively.

Justice Gita Mittal, Chairperson of the Supreme Court-appointed Vulnerable Witness Committee during a training programme organised by Supreme Court’s Vulnerable Witness Committee and the AP High Court’s VWDC Committee at SR Sankaran Hall in Guntur on Sunday Photo | Express

GUNTUR: Justice Gita Mittal, Chairperson of the Supreme Court-appointed Vulnerable Witness Committee, has emphasised the need to establish Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres (VWDCs) in all courts to ensure a safe, secure, and child-friendly environment for recording testimonies. She said such centres are vital to prevent re-traumatisation of victims of sexual offences, child witnesses, and those under threat.

Speaking at a training programme for judicial officers organised jointly by the Supreme Court’s Vulnerable Witness Committee and the AP High Court’s VWDC Committee at SR Sankaran Hall in Guntur on Sunday, Justice Mittal explained that the initiative aims to create supportive courtrooms for children, persons with disabilities, and victims of abuse, using measures such as screens, interpreters, breaks, and support persons to ensure fair testimony without compromising rights of the accused.

Justice Mittal highlighted the need for well-trained staff, including judges and counsellors, to handle vulnerable individuals sensitively. She noted that vulnerable witnesses could appear in civil, criminal, family, custody, or juvenile cases, and VWDCs should be extended to all jurisdictions.