Bhubaneswar: With crime against minor girls on the rise in the state, the Odisha government Friday decided to take steps for setting up of 24 special fast track courts to deal with atrocities against girls.
These courts will hear cases filed under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, said Law Minister Pratap Jena. Additional district judge will be appointed to hear such cases, he said.
The courts will be set up at Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam (Berhampur), Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi (Bhawanipatna), Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khurda, Koraput (Jeypore), Mayurbhanj (Baripada), Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Phulbani, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sundargarh.
The move of government comes six years after the implementation of POCSO Act in November 2012, which mandates establishment of one such court in each district.
According to the Act, the verdict in cases of sexual assault must be pronounced within a year.