3.34 lakh cases disposed of by 725 Fast Track Special Courts since 2019: Govt

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) As many as 725 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including 392 exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) Courts, have collectively disposed of 3.34 lakh cases till June 30, since their inception in 2019, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a written reply, said that the government has released Rs 1,034.55 crore to the States/UTs since the Nirbhaya Fund's inception to ensure the smooth functioning of FTSCs.

At the inception of the Scheme, the allocation of FTSCs across the country was based on a criterion of 65 to 165 pending cases per court, meaning one FTSC would be established for every 65 to 165 pending cases. Based on that, only 31 States/UTs were eligible to join the Scheme, he said.

MoS Meghwal said that in terms of cumulative disposal of the cases, Uttar Pradesh leads the states with 91,459 matters.

The next best performance of FTSCs was recorded by Madhya Pradesh at 32,113 cases and Kerala at 26,202 cases.

In the National Capital, FTSCs have disposed of 2,718 cases since their inception in 2019. Delhi has 16 FTSCs, including ePOCSO.

Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of 218 FTSCs, Madhya Pradesh 67, Kerala 55, Bihar 46, Odisha 44, Telangana 36 and Gujarat 35.

Pointing to the efficiency of FTSCs, the MoS said, "As per the inputs received from the High Courts, the disposal rate of Rape and POCSO Act cases in Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) appears to be significantly higher than in regular courts."

While the average disposal rate of Rape and POCSO Act cases in regular courts is estimated at 3.26 cases per court per month, FTSCs achieve an average of 9.51 cases per court per month. This suggests an enhanced efficiency in case disposal through FTSCs, he said.

The MoS said following the Nirbhaya case of December 16, 2012, the government set up a dedicated fund - Nirbhaya Fund - which can be utilised for projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of women.

"It is a non-lapsable corpus fund, being administered by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry to appraise/recommend proposals and Schemes to be funded under the Nirbhaya Fund. The Ministry of WCD further has the responsibility to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned schemes in conjunction with the Line Ministries/Departments,” he said.

The FTSCs have been set up and operationalised under the Nirbhaya Fund. The Department has released a sum of Rs 1,034.55 crore to the States/UTs since its inception to ensure the smooth functioning of the courts, the MoS said.

--IANS

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