Lok Sabha Question No. 1717 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-11
Subject: Fast Track Special Courts for Rape and POCSO Cases
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Margani Bharat, T. R. Paarivendhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

*****

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1717

TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 11 th FEBRUARY, 2022

## Fast Track Special Courts for Rape and POCSO cases

## 1717. SHRI MARGANI BHARAT: DR. T.R. PAARIVENDHAR:

Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:

- (a) whether as per Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 1025 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) for expeditious trial and disposal of cases related to rape and POCSO were to be set up, if so, the details thereof along with the reasons for  failure  to  set  up  even  fifty  percent  of  recommended  FTSCs indicating the number of FTSCs set up in various States;
- (b) whether  these  FTSCs  are  functional  with  full  judicial  and  non-judicial strength, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Union Government has directed ten States to set up FTSC to hear exclusively the sex abuse cases, if so, the details thereof along with the names of such States; and
- (d) the  details  of  response  received  from  these  States  in  this  regard  along with the status of setting up of such courts?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF LAW & JUSTICE (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a)  to  (d):    In  pursuance  to  the  Criminal  Law  Amendment  Act,  2018,  the Department  of  Justice  is  implementing  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  for setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including 389 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts for expeditious trial and disposal of cases related to rape and POCSO Act. The Scheme was initially started for 1 year in October 2019  in  31  States/UTs  across  the  country.  Government  has  further  approved

continuation of the Scheme up to March 2023. 28 States/UTs have joined the Scheme  so  far.  West  Bengal,  Arunachal  Pradesh  and  A&N  Island  are  yet  to join.  As  per  information  made  available  by  the  High  Courts,  700  FTSCs including 383 exclusive POCSO Courts are operational which disposedof more than  73,600  pending  cases  (December,  2021).  The  details  of  earmarked  and functional FTSCs is given at Annexure.

As per guidelines issued for the Scheme of FTSCs, one Presiding Officer and seven support staff for each functional FTSC are to be deputed by the respective State/UT and High Courts for trial of exclusively rape and POCSO Act cases. However,  data  on  vacancies  of  staff  strength  in  FTSCs  is  not  maintained centrally.  As  per  data  furnished  by  the  High  Courts,in  19  States/UTs,  the earmarked  FTSCs  are  fully  functional,  in  08  States/UTs  FTSCs  are  partially functional, in 1 State (Goa) the earmarked FTSC is yet to be operationalized and 3 States/UT have still notjoined the Scheme.

The  issue  of  setting  up  of  FTSCs  and  their  early  operationalization  has  been taken up with concerned States/UTs at various level from time to time. Minister of Law & Justice has addressed letters to Chief Ministers of States and Chief Justices of High Courts in this regard. In addition, regular review meetings with officials  of  the  States/UTs  and  High  Court  functionaries  are  being  held  from time to time for operationalization of remaining FTSCs so as to further reduce the burden on judiciary.

*****

## Annexure as referred to in Reply to the Lok Sabha Unstarred  Q.NO- 1717 for 11 th February 2022

## Status of Earmarked and Functional FTSCs (as on 31.12.2021)

| S.No.                 | State/UT          | Earmarked FTSCs        | Earmarked FTSCs        | Functional FTSCs       | Functional FTSCs      |
|-----------------------|-------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|
|                       |                   | FTSCs including ePOCSO | ePOCSO (Out of Col- 3) | FTSCs including ePOCSO | ePOCSO (Out of Col-5) |
| 1                     | 2                 | 3                      | 4                      | 5                      | 6                     |
| 1.                    | Andhra Pradesh    | 18                     | 8                      | 10                     | 10                    |
| 2.                    | Assam             | 27                     | 15                     | 15                     | 15                    |
| 3.                    | Bihar             | 54                     | 30                     | 45                     | 45                    |
| 4.                    | Chandigarh        | 1                      | 0                      | 1                      | 0                     |
| 5. Chhattisgarh       |                   | 15                     | 11                     | 15                     | 11                    |
| 6.                    | Delhi             | 16                     | 11                     | 16                     | 11                    |
| 7.                    | Goa               | 2                      | 0                      | 0                      | 0                     |
| 8.                    | Gujrat            | 35                     | 24                     | 35                     | 24                    |
| 9.                    | Haryana           | 16                     | 12                     | 16                     | 12                    |
| 10. Himachal Pradesh  |                   | 6                      | 3                      | 6                      | 3                     |
| 11.                   | J&K               | 4                      | 0                      | 4                      | 2                     |
| 12. Jharkhand         |                   | 22                     | 8                      | 22                     | 8                     |
| 13.                   | Karnataka         | 31                     | 17                     | 18                     | 16                    |
| 14.                   | Kerala            | 56                     | 14                     | 28                     | 0                     |
| 15. Madhya Pradesh    |                   | 67                     | 26                     | 67                     | 56                    |
| 16.                   | Maharashtra       | 138                    | 30                     | 34                     | 22                    |
| 17. Manipur           |                   | 2                      | 0                      | 2                      | 0                     |
| 18.                   | Meghalaya         | 5                      | 5                      | 5                      | 5                     |
| 19. Mizoram           |                   | 3                      | 1                      | 3                      | 1                     |
| 20.                   | Nagaland          | 1                      | 0                      | 1                      | 1                     |
| 21.                   | Odisha            | 45                     | 22                     | 36                     | 15                    |
| 22.                   | Punjab            | 12                     | 2                      | 12                     | 3                     |
| 23. Rajasthan         |                   | 45                     | 26                     | 45                     | 30                    |
| 24. Tamil             | Nadu              | 14                     | 14                     | 14                     | 14                    |
| 25.                   | Telangana         | 36                     | 10                     | 25                     | 4                     |
|                       | Tripura           | 3                      | 1                      | 3                      | 1                     |
| 26. 27. Uttar         | Pradesh           | 218                    | 74                     | 218                    | 74                    |
| 28.                   | Uttarakhand       | 4                      | 4                      | 4                      | 0                     |
| Consent Not Given     | Consent Not Given | Consent Not Given      | Consent Not Given      | Consent Not Given      | Consent Not Given     |
| 29. Arunachal Pradesh |                   | 3                      | 0                      | 0                      | 0                     |
| 30.                   | A&N               | 1                      | 1                      | 0                      | 0                     |
| 31.                   | WB                | 123                    | 20                     | 0                      | 0                     |
| 1023                  | TOTAL             |                        | 389                    | 700                    | 383                   |