SHILLONG: Meghalaya is facing a substantial backlog of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, with 1,747 cases still pending as of 2024.
Despite resolving and closing 894 cases, the backlog of POCSO cases persists in the state.
The state has established six POCSO Special Courts to handle the backlog of cases with two in East Khasi Hills, and one each in West Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi, and West Garo Hills.
The POCSO Special Courts, however, are facing significant challenges due to the heavy workload of judicial magistrates, who are also responsible for handling other legal cases.
Frequent cancellations of hearings due to the non-appearance of the accused, survivors, or witnesses further contribute to delays.
Frequent cancellations of hearings, often caused by the absence of the accused, survivors, or witnesses, are a major factor contributing to the delays in resolving POCSO cases.
Besides, Meghalaya’s Juvenile Justice Boards are also facing challenges with 280 pending cases involving children in conflict with the law as of June 2024.
The existing judicial infrastructure, coupled with procedural complexities, including the need for psychological assessments and social investigations, has slowed down the legal process.
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The state’s three observation homes for these children are scattered across districts, leading to logistical challenges for Principal Magistrates and JJB members as they will have to travel from other districts to these observation homes for hearings. This also hampers the regular conduct and timely disposal of cases.
