Lok Sabha Question No. 4474 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-19
Subject: Special Courts for Juvenile Justice
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: D. Ravikumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4474

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2019

## SPECIAL COURTS FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE

## 4474. SHRI RAVIKUMAR D.:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  all State Governments  have  complied  with  the  direction of creating or establishing special courts for the trial of Juvenile offenders;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  special  courts  established  under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, State/UT-wise; and
- (c) the number of judges appointed in special courts established under POCSO Act, 2012, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a) to (c): The primary responsibility of execution of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) lies with the State Governments. As per the provisions of POCSO Act, 2012 the State Government shall in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court, by notification in the Official Gazette, designate for each district, a Court of  Session  to  be  a  Special  Court  to  try  the  offences  under  the  Act.  Provided  that  if  a Court of Session is notified as a children's court under the Commissions for Protection of Child  Rights  Act,  2005  (4  of  2006)  or  a  Special  Court  designated  for  similar  purposes under any other law for the time being in force, then such court shall be deemed to be a Special Court under the section. As per information received from National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, 664 Special Courts have been set up across the country till 30 th  April, 2019 for timely disposal of the cases registered under the POCSO Act, 2012. Details  of  Special  Courts  set  up  across  the  country,  State/UT-wise  are  at Annexure-I. The  matter  of  appointment  of  judges  rests  with  the  State  Governments  and  UT Administrations.

*******

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.4474  for  answer  on  19.07.2019  raised  by  Shri  Ravikumar  D.  regarding  'Special Courts for Juvenile Justice'.

State/UT-wise number of Special Courts set up across the country till 30 th  April, 2019 as per information received from the States /UTs.

| Sr. No.   | Name of the State/UT   | No. of Special Courts   |
|-----------|------------------------|-------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh         | 14                      |
| 2         | Assam                  | 24                      |
| 3         | A & N Islands          | 1                       |
| 4         | Arunachal Pradesh      | 5                       |
| 5         | Bihar                  | 38                      |
| 6         | Chhattisgarh           | 51                      |
| 7         | Chandigarh UT          | 1                       |
| 8         | Delhi                  | 16                      |
| 9         | Daman & Diu            | 2                       |
| 10        | Dadra & Nagar Haveli   | 1                       |
| 11        | Goa                    | 1                       |
| 12        | Gujarat                | 33                      |
| 13        | Himachal Pradesh       | 11                      |
| 14        | Haryana                | 22                      |
| 15        | Jharkhand              | 24                      |
| 16        | Kerala                 | 3                       |
| 17        | Karnataka              | 30                      |
| 18        | Lakshadweep            | Nil                     |
| 19        | Manipur                | 9                       |
| 20        | Mizoram                | 5                       |
| 21        | Madhya Pradesh         | 51                      |
| 22        | Meghalaya              | 6                       |
| 23        | Maharashtra            | 36                      |
| 24        | Nagaland               | 8                       |
| 25        | Odisha                 | 30                      |
| 26        | Punjab                 | 22                      |
| 27        | Pondicherry            | 1                       |
| 28        | Rajasthan              | 55                      |
| 29        | Sikkim                 | 4                       |
| 30        | Tamil Nadu             | 32                      |
| 31        | Telangana              | 10                      |
| 32        | Tripura                | 7                       |
| 33        | Uttar Pradesh          | 75                      |
| 34        | Uttrakhand             | 13                      |
| 35        | West Bengal            | 23                      |
|           | Total                  | 664                     |