Around 755 Fast Track Special Courts including 410 exclusive POCSO Courts are functional in 30 States and Union Territories across the country, the Central government said on Thursday.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “Pursuant to the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2018, the Government has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO Courts since October, 2019 for expeditious trial and disposal of pending cases pertaining to Rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, in a time-bound manner.”
“The Scheme was initially implemented for one year, which was extended up to March, 2023. The Scheme has now been extended till 31.03.2026, at an outlay of Rs. 1952.23 crore. with Rs. 1207.24 crore. as Central Share to be incurred from Nirbhaya Fund,” Meghwal said.
As per the information received from the High Courts up to May, 2024, 755 FTSCs including 410 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts are functional in 30 States/UTs across the country, which have disposed of over 2,53,000 cases, he added.
Lauding the establishment of Fast Track Special Courts, the Minister said, “This effort 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 & POCSO Act, and providing enhanced access to justice for survivors of sexual crimes.”
With professional and experienced judges and support staff specialized in handling sensitive sexual offense cases, these courts ensure consistent and expert-guided legal proceedings offering victims of sexual offences swift resolution in mitigating the trauma and distress and enabling them to move forward, he said.
“Fast Track Special Courts have notably adopted the approach of setting up Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centers 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,” Meghwal added.
