Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt has decided to appoint more special public prosecutors (SPPs) to speed up the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act case trials and cut delays in filing charge sheets in order to ensure curb crimes against women and children.The decision was taken at a joint high-level review meeting held by officials from the home, women and child welfare, and school education departments on Tuesday. Officials said one of the major bottlenecks was the time lag between registration of cases, filing of charge sheets and commencement of court proceedings.“At present, there is a considerable delay in filing charge sheets and taking cases to trial. The directorate of prosecution have been directed to appoint more public prosecutors. Already a recruitment notification has been issued, and more will be issued soon,” an official said.Under Section 32 of the Pocso Act, state govts must appoint a SPP each for special courts handling child sexual abuse cases. These prosecutors advocates should have at least seven years of Bar experience and handle these trials exclusively. As per the Supreme Court directions, if there are inadequate SPPs, existing prosecutors should be roped in.Officials cited the example of the recent Sulur minor girl murder case, whereing senior advocate K R Sankaran was appointed as special public prosecutor and the charge sheet was filed within 18 days.Also, as part of preventive measures among adolescents, the school education department has been asked to introduce peer counselling groups in schools. Officials said existing counsellors in both govt and private schools often struggle with age and technology gaps while addressing newer forms of harassment and stalking, much of which originates online.“The idea is to identify communicative students and train them on issues such as digital stalking, good touch and bad touch, identifying unsafe acquaintances and responsible social media interactions. Peer-level communication can improve awareness among students and parents,” the official said. The initiative is expected to roll out soon.Officials added that investigations involving adolescents aged 15–18 years frequently reveal interactions with strangers through social media platforms, often without parental knowledge. “Peer counselling can improve digital literacy and awareness on safe online interactions and recognising risky behaviour,” an official said. Tamil Nadu had experimented with peer counselling nearly 15 years ago at a GCC girls’ school in Nungambakkam, but the pilot did not scale up.Advocate Akila Ramalingam said understaffing of prosecutors and overcrowding in POCSO courts remained a challenge. “Hiring more SPPs alone may not prevent crimes against women and children. Faster prosecution and visible outcomes can act as a deterrent,” she said.Esther Maria Selva of NGO ActionAid said peer counselling should become a standard feature across schools. “There is a technology gap among traditional counsellors in understanding modern forms of harassment and stalking, which often begin through digital conversations. Peer counsellors must be trained to handle disclosures sensitively and provide accurate guidance. The govt should work with trained and specialised organisations in this area,” she said.
