Delhi govt can appoint special prosecutors: Centre to HC

The Centre today told the Delhi High Court that it has given a go ahead to the city government to appoint special public prosecutors in each special court set up to handle sexual offence cases against children.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul took note of plea of the Ministry of Home Affairs that a letter has been issued to Union Territories and the Delhi government that they can appoint prosecutors to try accused in sexual offences cases against kids.
"The Delhi government/Lt Governor can appoint special public prosecutors under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve Mehra, appearing for the MHA, said.

The court then asked the Delhi government to appoint the prosecutors within four weeks and disposed of the PIL filed by advocate Gaurav K Bansal on the issue.
It, however, gave Bansal the liberty to seek revival of the PIL if the Delhi government fails to implement its order.
Earlier, the court had asked the MHA to consider according approval to the city government for appointing special public prosecutors for handling sexual offence cases against kids.

The Delhi government had said that Delhi is not a state in "all sense" and hence, it needed sanction from the Centre for appointing special public prosecutors.

The SPPs would handle cases under the POCSO Act.
The PIL has said that there are around 762 cases under the POCSO Act pending in the various district courts here.
Delhi government had earlier said that since the courts of additional sessions judges have been deemed as special courts for POCSO cases, there was no need for setting up exclusive courts.
In May, the court had directed the government to file an action taken report on the appointment of prosecutors, following Bansal's PIL on the functioning of POCSO courts.