Panchkula, Oct. 23 -- Come November 3 and the Panchkula district court will have a dedicated fast-track special court to exclusively hear offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. With this, trials in POCSO cases are expected to proceed at a faster pace and ensure quicker justice for minor victims.

At present, POCSO cases are handled by a single court of additional sessions judge, which also deals with other serious offences such as murder, cases under the Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe Act, Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and corruption cases. On an average, the court hears eight to 10 cases related to crimes against women each day.

Manish Dua, who is currently the additional...