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Child rights panel writes to Mumbai Police over top cop’s direction on registering POCSO cases
India Today
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote to the Mumbai Police on Thursday over the commissioner’s direction on registering POCSO cases.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Thursday wrote to the Maharashtra Police over the commissioner’s order on registering cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. The commissioner had issued an order to file such cases only after the approval of the deputy commissioner.
According to Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey, several false cases are being registered due to personal disputes over property and financial matters. The directive issued by him said that in such cases, the accused is arrested immediately without verification of facts. He said the order was issued so that such false accusations are avoided.
It also added that the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) should follow the Supreme Court's judgement in the Lalita Kumari case. In the 2013 `Lalita Kumari versus Govt of UP and others' case, a three-member bench of the top court set out guidelines as to when the registration of an FIR is mandatory.
Mumbai Police @MumbaiPolice CP @sanjayp_1 order regarding registering FIR u/s of #POCSO has transgressed upon domain of Parliament n also CPCR Act 2005. Requesting @NCPCR_ @MinistryWCD @smritiirani @KanoongoPriyank to take effective majors to preserve the sanctity of the act! pic.twitter.com/vYzTlcznd3
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The NCPCR’s letter to the Director General of Police (DGP) of the Mumbai Police said the commissioner’s order “will cause a serious infringement upon the right of victims of sexual abuse and cause undue delay for victims to their access to justice.” It also said the order is in violation of “the true objective and spirit of the POCSO Act.”