1,023 Fast Track Special Courts to be set up for Speedy disposal of Rape & POCSO Act Cases

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New Delhi : Altogether 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) will be set up across the country under National Mission for Safety of Women (NMSW) for Speedy disposal of Rape and POCSO Act Cases

Incidents of rape and gang-rape of minor girls below age of twelve years and similar heinous crimes against women have shaken the conscience of the entire nation. Therefore, the offences of rape and gang-rape of women and children require effective deterrence through fast and time bound completion of trial relating to sexual offences. To bring out more stringent provisions and expeditious trial and disposal of such cases, Union of India enacted the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018.

The Government has taken up work of setting up of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) as a part of National Mission for Safety of Women (NMSW). Accordingly, the Central Government has started a Scheme for setting up of 1,023 FTSCs across the country based on pendency of subject cases obtained from various High Courts (1,66,882 numbers as on March 31, 2018) for time bound trial and disposal of pending cases related to rape and POCSO Act.

Further, in pursuance to the direction of Supreme Court of India in Suo Moto Writ Petition (Criminal) No.01/2019 dated July 25, 2019, out of 1,023 FTSCs, 389 Courts have been proposed to be set up exclusively for POCSO Act related cases in Districts where pendency of such cases is more than 100. The Scheme was circulated to all State Governments/ Union Territories Administrations concerned in September, 2019. Union Minister of Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has written and appealed to all the Chief Ministers of States for opening these courts.

Out of total 31 States and UTs, so far 24 have joined this scheme (Andhara Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, NCT of Delhi, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, UT of Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh) for setting up of 792 FTSCs/ including 354 exclusive POCSO courts, according to a PIB release. Efforts are constantly being made to obtain consent/willingness of remaining States/UTs.