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Child rape: SC orders setting up special POCSO courts in districts with over 100 cases

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7 years ago

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Man forces minor to do oral sex for Rs 20

Taking note of alarming rise in child rape cases in the country, the Supreme Court today (Thursday, July 25) ordered the Centre to set up special courts in each district across the country that had over 100 cases of child abuse and sexual assault pending trial under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

A 3-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and also comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Aniruddha Bose directed that the courts be set up within 60 days. To be established under a Central scheme and fully funded by the Centre, the Centre would fund everything from the payment of the presiding officers, staff and support persons to the court’s child-friendly infrastructure.

The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to file a progress report in four weeks and the court would take up the matter again on September 26.

The Supreme Court’s order came a day after Rajya Sabha approved amendments to the POCSO Act to include death penalty for sexual assault on minors. The amendments also provide for fines and imprisonment for those indulging in child pornography. The Bill was introduced in Parliament by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday, and will now be sent to the Lok Sabha for approval. It was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this month.

The Supreme Court had a week ago taken suo motu cognisance of the matter in view of the “alarming rise” in the number of rape incidents against children in the country and decided take remedial measures to thwart the crime. 

The SC bench appointed senior advocate V Giri as amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist it in framing guidelines on the kind of directions that can be issued to states on infrastructure and video-recording of the proceedings. It made clear that no third party except Giri and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta would be allowed to intervene in the matter saying that otherwise nothing can happen in such a matter.  The bench directed the Registry to register the case as a writ petition titled as “In-re Alarming Rise in The Number of Reported Child Rape Incidents” and present the suggestions by Monday for issuance of directions.

The apex court order came on a suo motu public interest litigation petition registered by the Supreme Court, concerned at the “alarming rise” in child abuse cases and their long pendency in courts.

Noting that children were the victims in such cases, the CJI said there was no excuse for long delay in justice for them. The traumatised victims needed to be treated with compassion and kindness. In short, a completely different approach was required while investigating and trying POCSO cases.

When told that there were two exclusive POCSO courts at the Saket court complex in the National Capital, the CJI said the Supreme Court was not talking with reference to Saket but about “those courts in certain States where privacy means drawing a curtain between the victim in a POCSO court and the accused.”

He said that one judge had to oversee over 400 cases under the POCSO Act and that the Act itself was not implemented well enough.

“We are concerned about States where there is hardly any infrastructure; where the Magistrate has hardly any room; where he or she sits in a small four-by-four enclosure. These presiding officers lack basic infrastructure yet are snowed under by cases under new laws… New law means new responsibility and additional burden for them…These are the real issues which affect the judiciary and not the Supreme Court Collegium,” CJI Gogoi said.

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The top court noted that collection of further nationwide data on child rape cases would delay implementation of POCSO law. When one of the court officers sought more time to collect more data on POCSO cases, the CJI cut him short, saying “What more data is required here? Data to show that the country has more cases than judges?”

The Chief Justice then turned to the Solicitor General and told him, “Mr. Mehta, ask your government to make the money available [for the establishment of special POCSO courts].”

The bench said the Centre would have to appoint trained, sensitised prosecutors and support persons to deal with POCSO cases. It also directed the chief secretaries of states and Union Territories to ensure timely submission of forensic reports in such cases.

The court, though it deferred any orders for the establishment of exclusive forensic laboratories for POCSO cases, ordered the directors of the existing ones to deal with POCSO case evidence promptly to cause no delay in the probe or trial of such cases.

The court had registered the PIL plea under the title ‘In-re Alarming Rise in The Number of Reported Child Rape Incidents.”

The PIL plea was instituted on the basis of the court’s own report that showed that from January 1 to June 30 this year 24,212 First Information Reports were filed across India.

Of these, 11,981 were still being probed by the police and in 12,231 cases, the police had filed the charge sheets. Trial had commenced in 6,449 cases only, it said, adding that they were yet to commence in 4,871. Till now, the trial courts had decided only 911 cases, that is, about 4% of the total cases registered.

Also Read: Gujarat lady cop suspended for dancing in police station

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Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose resigns, Mamata Banerjee says RN Ravi to replace him

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has resigned ahead of the state assembly election. Mamata Banerjee said RN Ravi of Tamil Nadu may replace him and questioned the process.

Published

11 hours ago

on

March 5, 2026

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Bengal Governor

CV Ananda Bose has resigned as the Governor of West Bengal, according to sources. The development comes ahead of the upcoming state assembly election and follows a period marked by differences between the governor and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sources indicated that Bose is currently in Delhi. However, the reasons behind his resignation have not yet been made public.

Reacting to the development, Mamata Banerjee said she was “shocked and deeply concerned” by the sudden move.

She also claimed that RN Ravi, who is presently serving as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, will be appointed as the next Governor of West Bengal.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Banerjee said the reasons for Bose’s resignation were not known to her at the moment.

“The reasons behind his resignation are not known to me at this moment. However, given the prevailing circumstances, I would not be surprised if the Governor has been subjected to some pressure from the Union Home Minister to serve certain political interests on the eve of the forthcoming State Assembly elections,” she wrote.

Banerjee further alleged that the Union Home Minister informed her that RN Ravi would be appointed as the Governor of West Bengal, but said she was not consulted beforehand.

She said such a move goes against established conventions and weakens the federal structure.

“Union Home Minister just informed me that Shri R.N. Ravi is being appointed as Governor of West Bengal. He never consulted with me as per the established convention in this regard. Such actions undermine the spirit of the Constitution of India and strike at the very foundation of our federal structure. The Centre must respect the principles of cooperative federalism and refrain from taking unilateral decisions that erode democratic conventions and the dignity of States,” Banerjee said.

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BJP nominates Laxmi Verma to Rajya Sabha from Chhattisgarh

The BJP has announced Laxmi Verma as its Rajya Sabha nominee from Chhattisgarh, with her election considered certain given the party’s Assembly strength.

Published

3 days ago

on

March 3, 2026

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Laxmi verma of BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced Laxmi Verma as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Chhattisgarh, naming her as part of a broader list of nominees released for six states. The decision comes after weeks of internal consultations and is being viewed as backing the preference of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai.

Party deliberations and final selection

According to party sources, seven names were initially considered before the list was narrowed to three — Laxmi Verma, Narayan Chandel and Krishnamurthy Bandhi. After discussions at the central level, the BJP leadership finalised Verma’s candidature.

Verma, 55, hails from Mudpar village in Simga block of Balodabazar district. She has been associated with the BJP since 1990, beginning as a primary member and gradually rising through the organisational ranks.

Long association with BJP and public roles

Her political journey includes serving as the representative of Raipur MP Ramesh Bais in 2000. In 2001, she was elected to the BJP Mahila Morcha Working Committee, a role she held for four years.

Between 2010 and 2014, Verma was part of the National Working Committee of the BJP Panchayati Raj Cell. She also remained a member of the BJP Mahila Morcha Working Committee from 2010 to 2022. From 2021 to 2025, she served as State Vice President of the BJP in Chhattisgarh. During this period, she was entrusted with responsibilities as Gariaband organisation in-charge and BJP media spokesperson between 2021 and 2024.

Verma’s public life began in 1994 when she was elected councillor from Ward No. 7 of the Raipur Municipal Corporation. In 2010, she became president of the Raipur District Panchayat. Since October 7, 2024, she has been serving as a member of the Chhattisgarh State Women’s Commission.

Social and community engagement

Apart from party responsibilities, Verma has been active in several social organisations. She became president of Shakti Mahila Manch, Raipur, in 1998 and received the District Youth Award from Nehru Yuva Kendra, Raipur, in 1999.

She has also been associated with the Labor Rehabilitation Committee in Raipur and has served as Chief Patron of the Chhattisgarh Ekta Mazdoor Kalyan Sangh since 2009. Since 2011, she has been an advisory member of the Family Court, Raipur. Additionally, she has held positions in the All India Panchayat Parishad and the Chhattisgarh Scout Guides.

Verma is regarded as an influential figure within the Manwa Kurmi community and currently serves as National General Secretary of the All India Kurmi Kshatriya Mahasabha Women’s Wing.

Rajya Sabha arithmetic

Chhattisgarh presently has five members in the Rajya Sabha. Two seats, currently held by Congress leaders Phoolodevi Netam and KTS Tulsi, are set to fall vacant on April 9, 2026. Two other Congress MPs — Rajiv Shukla and Ranjeet Ranjan — have terms lasting until June 29, 2028. BJP leader Devendra Pratap Singh will continue in office until April 2, 2030.

With 90 MLAs in the Chhattisgarh Assembly and two Rajya Sabha seats going to polls, the winning quota is calculated at 31 first-preference votes. Given the BJP’s current strength in the Assembly, Verma’s election is widely seen as certain once voting is held.

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Total lunar eclipse on March 3: When and how to watch blood moon safely

A total lunar eclipse on March 3 will create a stunning blood moon. Here are the timings, visibility details and safe viewing tips for India and other regions.

Published

3 days ago

on

March 3, 2026

By

Lunar Ecliple234

Sky-watchers across several parts of the world are set to witness a spectacular total lunar eclipse on March 3, when the Moon will take on a striking coppery-red hue, popularly known as a “blood moon”.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow completely over the lunar surface. During this phase, instead of turning dark, the Moon glows in shades of deep red or orange. This phenomenon happens because the Earth’s atmosphere bends and filters sunlight, allowing only red wavelengths to reach the Moon.

Where will the lunar eclipse be visible

The total lunar eclipse will be visible across eastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific region, and parts of North and South America.

In India, only the final phase of the eclipse will be visible around moonrise at sunset. Northeastern states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and West Bengal are expected to have a view of the celestial event, subject to clear weather conditions.

According to official timings shared by the India Meteorological Department, the eclipse schedule in India is as follows:

  • Eclipse begins: 3:20 pm
  • Total phase begins: 4:34 pm
  • Total phase ends: 5:33 pm
  • Eclipse ends: 6:48 pm

Globally, totality will last for approximately 58 minutes, from 6:04 am EST (1104 GMT / 4:34 pm IST) to 7:02 am EST (1202 GMT / 5:32 pm IST).

Is it safe to watch the blood moon

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to observe with the naked eye. There is no need for protective eyewear.

Experts advise choosing a location with a clear and unobstructed view of the eastern horizon for the best experience. While the eclipse can be seen without equipment, binoculars or a small telescope can enhance the view and bring out the Moon’s reddish tones more clearly.

Tips for photographing the blood moon

Those planning to capture the rare event can consider the following tips:

  1. Use a DSLR or mirrorless camera paired with a telephoto lens between 200 mm and 600 mm for closer shots.
  2. Increase the ISO between 400 and 1600 and slow the shutter speed to around 1–2 seconds during totality to capture the dimmer red glow.
  3. Use a tripod to ensure stability and avoid blurred images.

The March 3 total lunar eclipse offers astronomy enthusiasts a unique opportunity to witness one of the most captivating natural spectacles in the night sky.

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