KOLLAM: An SC/ST court that exclusively deals with cases pertaining to the deprived sections has been set up in the district. It was inaugurated by Kerala High Court judge Justice Antony Dominic here at Kottarakara the other day. It is the third such court in the state. Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Thiruvananthapuram districts fall under the jurisdictional ambit of the court.“The new court would help in speedier delivery of justice to the marginalised communities,“ he said. He also reminded the responsibility of judicial officers in achieving this goal. Special courts were set up under the decentralisation process to fast-track cases, he said.
The court was inaugurated on June 6 after a delay of almost three years. It was sanctioned in 2012, but was put on back burner after consensus could not be reached on a suitable location in the district.The Bar Associations of Kollam and Kottarakara had earlier got into a tug of war over the location of the special court.The chasm deepened with each association demanding the setting up of the court near their respective centres, citing proximity and convenience of its association members.
Kottarakara was finally zeroed in on as it was geographically closer to areas with higher SC/ST population, including Pathanapuram and Punalur. The region also tops the list for the highest number of cases being registered in connection with the SC/STs in the district.
Availability of a building also favoured Kottarakara. The court will function in a building near to the Kottarakkara police station, where the sub-court functioned earlier. As many as 40 cases from the district court will be transferred to the new special court. Another special court to deal with cases pertaining to dalits was also sanctioned in Palakkad.