GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has directed the Assam government to allocate additional funds for the creation of the Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centre (VWDC) required in POCSO Courts across the state.
This decision came during the hearing of a PIL filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan and Sampurna Behura, seeking the implementation of directions laid down by the Supreme Court in Sampurna Behura v. Union of India & Ors.
The division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Mitali Thakuria, stated that the state government must release an additional budget for this infrastructure, considering that the VWDC is a new facility created under the Supreme Court's directions and mandated by the POCSO Act.
The court has instructed the government counsel to seek instructions on this matter.
It is worth noting that the Supreme Court had previously requested the Chief Justice of each High Court to establish child-friendly courts and vulnerable witness courts in every district, as outlined in Sampurna Behura. D. Nath, Senior Government Advocate, presented a letter dated June 10, 2022, indicating that the required facilities for POCSO Courts, including furniture, books, and the VWDC, can be provided from the budget allocated to the District & Sessions Judges of the districts.
Additionally, the court has directed its Registry to contact the UNICEF representative in Assam to gather their input on the matter.
The court stated that involving the UNICEF representative will help widen the scope of proceedings and ensure the proper implementation of the Supreme Court's directions in the ongoing writ petition (WP(C) No.473/2005 - Sampurna Behura Vs. Union of India & Ors.).
Furthermore, the Senior Government Advocate has been instructed to gather information on the utilisation status of funds provided by the Central Government under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICDS).
The court has scheduled the next hearing for June 8.
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