Nod for continuation of Fast Track Special Courts

It involves an outlay of ₹1,572.86 crore.

Proceedings under way at the first exclusive court to deal with POCSO cases in Visakhapatnam. Photo: Special Arrangement

The Cabinet on August 4 approved the continuation of 1,023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for another two years, at an outlay of ₹1,572.86 crore.

The Centre’s share of ₹971.70 crore will come from the Nirbhaya Fund.

Since October 2019, the Department of Justice of the Ministry of Law and Justice has been implementing the Centrally sponsored scheme for expeditious trial and disposal of pending cases of rape and offences against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012.

The scheme includes 389 FTSCs exclusively for POCSO cases.

Each FTSC is expected to dispose of 41-42 cases in each quarter and at least 165 cases in a year.

At the time the scheme was launched, the government had set a target of disposing of 1,66,882 cases of rape and POCSO Act cases pending trial in various courts.

Earlier this year, a Parliamentary panel on Home Affairs had noted that only 597 fast track courts out of the total 1,023 had been set up in the country and expressed its concern at the delay in implementing the scheme.