First in region: City gets Child Witness Court

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
The Chandigarh District Courts today added another feather to their cap with the inauguration of the Child Witness Court in the court complex in Sector 43. The court is the first of its kind in the region and the second in the country after Delhi and has been set up keeping in view the safety and security of child victims in the court.
Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Shiavax Jal Vazifdar today inaugurated the new courtroom. A demo was also conducted to exhibit the functioning of the new court.
The special section set up in the court where the child will be seated has been made similar to a playroom where the child can watch cartoons, play with toys and will also get chocolates to eat.
Children below the age of 12 years who are victims of sexual offences will be examined in this court. According to court sources, as many 48 cases involving child victims are currently pending.
At the inauguration today, a demo was conducted in which court employees acted as the child and the accused while the Administrative Judge, Justice TPS Mann, of the Punjab and Haryana High Court occupied the Judge’s chair. During the demo, the entire sequence of the child’s statements being recorded by the public prosecutor and his subsequent examination by the defence counsel was shown as another court employee, posing as the accused, sat in the third room.
The entire demo was closely examined by Chief Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar who also gave suggestions for improvement.
 
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