Work on special witness rooms to begin Wed, HC told

The Maharashtra government Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that work on constructing special vulnerable witness court rooms in the state will commence from December 12.

Appearing for the state, Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni told a bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice MS Karnik that the state had allocated a sum of Rs 82 crore for the project.

"The model for such special court rooms has been finalised and we will begin the work from tomorrow (Wednesday)," Kumbhakoni told the bench.

"An administrative order will be issued by the state tomorrow, following which all district courts will issue work orders for the construction of the vulnerable witness court rooms in the court premises in all the 36 districts in the state," he said.

Kumbhakoni further said two such child-friendly and vulnerable witness court rooms will be constructed in Mumbai-- one in the city civil and sessions court premises in south Mumbai, and another at the Dindoshi sessions court.

Their construction will be completed within a month, he added.

The Advocate General made the above submissions in compliance with a previous order of the court.

Last month, the bench had directed the state government to ensure that its pilot project to set up the special rooms begins without further delay to ensure that vulnerable witnesses, including children and victims of sexual offences could depose in such court rooms without any fear.

The bench was hearing a suo motu (on its own motion) petition following the directions of the Supreme Court to all high courts to consider, among other things, establishing child friendly courts and vulnerable witness courts in each district.

These rooms are an essential requirement under several laws, including the Juvenile Justice Act, to ensure children or vulnerable witnesses deposing in a court room do not feel any fear or apprehension.

In February this year, the SC had asked chief justices of all high Courts in the country to ensure all provisions under the JJ Act, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and the provisions of the Indian Penal Code for trials for sexual offences were implemented in full spirit.

The bench led by Chief Justice Patil had accordingly initiated the aforementioned petition on its own and sought the AG's assistance on drawing up a plan to implement the directions.