At least one child friendly courtroom could come up in Bengaluru soon, if the plans being drawn up by the Karnataka Legal Services Authority and Juvenile Justice Committee, come to fruition.
This was pointed out by Ms. Uma MG, member of the Karnataka Legal Services Authority, while speaking at a panel discussion on the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act in Bengaluru on Sunday, as per a report in the Deccan Chronicle.
Special court judges were being given orientation and similar programmes were planned for special judges under the Juvenile Justice Act and POCSO, she said.
The litigation of POCSO, the judiciary’s view on weaknesses in the criminal justice system that lead to delay in meting out quick justice and ways to enhance the capability of key stakeholders like police, lawyers and counselors were some of the points taken up for discussion, the report adds.
"We must realise that judges are part of the society too. They are lawyers first and there is no magic wand that will suddenly make them in a day. The mindset of the society needs to change. The court must have a balance and judges are bound by evidence, largely," said Ms Geetanjali Goyal from the Delhi Legal Services Authority.
The need for a witness protection programme for the victims and their families was also discussed.
It was also pointed out that pre-courtroom visits would be helpful for the children in order to get them acquainted with the court proceedings, the report adds.