POCSO Case Delays and Witness Intimidation: How to Protect Your Rights and Push for a Speedy Trial

Priya Verma, a resident of Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, came to us in a state of considerable distress in early March 2024. She was the complainant in a POCSO matter that had been pending before a Sessions Court in Lucknow since late 2013 — more than a decade of adjournments, missed hearings, and institutional indifference. The accused's counsel had repeatedly sought postponements, police were slow to produce material evidence, and the trial had stalled at the stage of examination of witnesses for years.

What made her situation far more alarming was the intimidation. Unknown individuals had visited her residence in Indira Nagar on multiple occasions, pressuring her to withdraw the complaint. Threat messages were arriving through social media. She'd filed non-cognizable complaints at the local police station, but no concrete action followed. She had even sent emails to the High Court registry requesting expedited hearing — without result.

Before approaching Advocate Sudhir Rao, she had relied largely on the State prosecution and made attempts on her own. That approach hadn't moved the needle. Once the matter was taken up with a focused criminal litigation strategy — filing a formal application for speedy trial before the Sessions Judge, escalating the intimidation angle before the High Court under Section 528 BNSS, and placing a formal record of police inaction before the Superintendent of Police — the trajectory changed. Within a few months, the High Court issued directions for expedited hearing, and police registered a cognizable case in respect of the threats. The trial resumed with regularity. Domain-specific experience in criminal matters, particularly those under the POCSO Act, made a genuine difference here.

You can read about this case in detail at https://sudhirrao.com/pocso-case-delays-witness-intimidation-speedy-trial-india/