New Delhi: As per data submitted by various High Courts, up to December 2023, the number of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) across the country was 757. This included 411 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts.
As per the information provided by the High Courts on the FTSCs dashboard, a total of 81,471 cases were newly instituted from January 2023 to December 2023, while 76,319 cases were already disposed of during the period, resulting in a disposal rate of 93.6%.
The FTSCs are functional in 30 States and Union Territories across the country and have disposed of more than 2,14,000 cases, the Minister of State (independent charge) for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, told the Lok Sabha today.
He said pursuant to the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2018, the Central Government was implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts since October 2019 for expeditious trial and disposal of pending cases of Rape and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in a time-bound manner. The scheme was initially for one year, which was further extended up to March 2023.
The Union Cabinet extended the Scheme for another three years, from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2026, at a total outlay of Rs. 1952.23 cr. including Rs. 1207.24 crore as a Central Share to be incurred from the Nirbhaya Fund.
“Setting up Fast Track Special Courts demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the Government towards women security, combating sexual and gender-based violence, reducing the backlog of pending cases related to Rape and POCSO Act, and providing expeditious access to justice for survivors of sexual crimes,” Meghwal said.
According to the Minister, with professional and experienced judges and support staff specialized in handling sensitive sexual offence cases, these courts ensure consistent and expert-guided legal proceedings offering victims of sexual offences swift resolutions in mitigating the trauma and distress, and enabling them to move forward.
Fast Track Special Courts have adopted the approach of setting up Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres within the courts to facilitate the victims and to make the courts into Child-friendly Courts for providing crucial support for a compassionate legal system. These courts have disposed of more than 2,14,000 cases as of December 31, 2023.
– global bihari bureau
