Lok Sabha Question No. 178 (STARRED), answered on 2024-12-06
Subject: Setting up of Fast Track Special Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Dr. K Sudhakar, Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap

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

## LOK SABHA

STARRED QUESTION NO. *178 ANSWERED ON - 06/12/2024

## SETTING UP OF FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS

- *178. SHRI SURESH KUMAR KASHYAP: DR. K SUDHAKAR:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) set up since its inception till date and comprehensive status report on the functioning of FTSCs, State-wise;
- (b) the manner in which the said courts have impacted the disposal rate of rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases as compared to the regular courts;
- (c) the details of the funding system which have supported the setting up and operationalization of the said courts; and
- (d) the manner in which the Nirbhaya Fund has been utilized in this context specially in Himachal Pradesh?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a) to (d) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *178 FOR 06/12/2024 REGARDING 'SETTING UP OF FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS'

- (a) A Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the establishment of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO Courts for expeditious disposal of Rape and POCSO Act cases came to be introduced, following the enactment of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and the order of Hon'ble Supreme Court (Suo Motu Writ (Criminal) No. 1/2019. The Scheme has been extended twice, with the latest extension up to 31 st March 2026, targeting the establishment of 790 courts. As per the inputs received from the High Courts, as on 31.10.2024, 750 FTSCs including 408 exclusive POCSO Courts are functional in 30 States/UTs. These courts have disposed more than 2,87,000 cases as of 31.10.2024. The State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO courts along with their disposal, are given at Annexure-I .

Setting up Fast Track Special Courts demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the Government towards girls' and women's security, combating sexual and gender-based violence, reducing the backlog of pending cases related to Rape & POCSO Act, and providing expeditious access to justice for survivors of sexual crimes.

- (b) 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 8.01 cases per month. This suggests an enhanced efficiency in case disposal through FTSCs.
- (c) & (d) Following the Nirbhaya case of 16 th December, 2012, the Government has set up a dedicated fund - Nirbhaya Fund - which can be utilized for projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of women. It is a non-lapsable corpus fund, being administered by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. Ministry of Women and Child Development (M/o.WCD) is the nodal Ministry to appraise/recommend proposals and schemes to be funded under Nirbhaya Fund. M/o. WCD further has the responsibility to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned schemes in conjunction with the line Ministries/Departments.

The FTSCs have been set up and operationalized under the Nirbhaya Fund. The Department has released a total of ₹ 1008.14 Crore to the States/UTs since its inception to ensure the smooth functioning of the courts, which includes ₹ 173.59 Crore released in the current F.Y. 2024-25, against the allocated budget of ₹ 200.00 Crore. The funds are released on CSS Pattern (60:40, 90:10) and cover the salaries of one Judicial Officer, seven support staff, and a flexi grant to cover day-to-day expenditures. The funds are released to the States/UTs on a reimbursement basis, determined by the number of functional Courts in the State/UT concerned. A total of ₹ 9.07 Crore as a Central share of funds has been released to the State of Himachal Pradesh since the inception of the Scheme for the functioning of 6 FTSCs in the State. Details of funds released State/UT-wise along with the information pertaining to the State of Himachal Pradesh, is given at Annexure-II .

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *178 FOR ANSWER ON 06.12.2024 REGARDING 'SETTING UP OF FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS'

## State/UT wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO Courts and their disposal (As on 31.10.2024)

| Sl.No.   | Name of States/UTs   |   Functional FTSCs including exclusive POCSO |   Cumulative Disposal since the inception of the Scheme |
|----------|----------------------|----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh       |                                           16 |                                                    5839 |
| 2        | Assam                |                                           17 |                                                    7076 |
| 3        | Bihar                |                                           46 |                                                   13762 |
| 4        | Chandigarh           |                                            1 |                                                     300 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh         |                                           15 |                                                    5525 |
| 6        | Delhi                |                                           16 |                                                    2197 |
| 7        | Goa                  |                                            1 |                                                      83 |
| 8        | Gujarat              |                                           35 |                                                   13859 |
| 9        | Haryana              |                                           16 |                                                    6932 |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh     |                                            6 |                                                    1264 |
| 11       | J&K                  |                                            4 |                                                     242 |
| 12       | Jharkhand            |                                           22 |                                                    7776 |
| 13       | Karnataka            |                                           31 |                                                   11872 |
| 14       | Kerala               |                                           55 |                                                   22208 |
| 15       | Madhya Pradesh       |                                           67 |                                                   28648 |
| 16       | Maharashtra          |                                            8 |                                                   20561 |
| 17       | Manipur              |                                            2 |                                                     167 |
| 18       | Meghalaya            |                                            5 |                                                     623 |
| 19       | Mizoram              |                                            3 |                                                     237 |
| 20       | Nagaland             |                                            1 |                                                      67 |
| 21       | Odisha               |                                           44 |                                                   16802 |
| 22       | Puducherry*          |                                            1 |                                                     107 |
| 23       | Punjab               |                                           12 |                                                    4489 |
| 24       | Rajasthan            |                                           45 |                                                   16511 |
| 25       | Tamil Nadu           |                                           14 |                                                    8534 |
| 26       | Telangana            |                                           36 |                                                    9849 |
| 27       | Tripura              |                                            3 |                                                     419 |
| 28       | Uttarakhand          |                                            4 |                                                    1747 |
| 29       | Uttar Pradesh        |                                          218 |                                                   79241 |
| 30       | West Bengal          |                                            6 |                                                     193 |
| 31       | A&N**                |                                            0 |                                                       0 |
| 32       | Arunachal Pradesh*** |                                            0 |                                                       0 |
|          | TOTAL                |                                          750 |                                                  287130 |

Note: 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.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) & (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *178 FOR ANSWER ON 06.12.2024 REGARDING 'SETTING UP OF FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS'

## State -UT wise Total Central Share of funds released under the Fast Track Special Courts Scheme (As on 02.12.2024)

| Sl. No.   | Name of States/UTs   | Total Funds (central share) Released from F.Y. 2019-20 to F.Y. 2024-25   |
|-----------|----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh       | 1.8                                                                      |
| 2         | Assam                | 26.65787                                                                 |
| 3         | Bihar                | 70.665365                                                                |
| 4         | Chandigarh           | 0.1875                                                                   |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh         | 21.8951                                                                  |
| 6         | Delhi                | 13.2669                                                                  |
| 7         | Goa                  | 1.16129                                                                  |
| 8         | Gujarat              | 41.2409                                                                  |
| 9         | Haryana              | 22.44234                                                                 |
| 10        | Himachal Pradesh     | 9.07991                                                                  |
| 11        | Jammu &Kashmir       | 8.57994                                                                  |
| 12        | Jharkhand            | 20.49482                                                                 |
| 13        | Karnataka            | 36.10824                                                                 |
| 14        | Kerala               | 54.78451                                                                 |
| 15        | Madhya Pradesh       | 105.96558                                                                |
| 16        | Maharashtra          | 47.59724                                                                 |
| 17        | Manipur              | 3.86372                                                                  |
| 18        | Meghalaya            | 7.14255                                                                  |
| 19        | Mizoram              | 7.31808                                                                  |
| 20        | Nagaland             | 1.75811                                                                  |
| 21        | Odisha               | 54.9262                                                                  |
| 22        | Puducherry*          | 0.555405                                                                 |
| 23        | Punjab               | 13.93488                                                                 |
| 24        | Rajasthan            | 84.14015                                                                 |
| 25        | Tamil Nadu           | 25.465555                                                                |
| 26        | Telangana            | 29.13895                                                                 |
| 27        | Tripura              | 5.28433                                                                  |
| 28        | Uttarakhand          | 9.10444                                                                  |
| 29        | Uttar Pradesh        | 281.40032                                                                |
| 30        | West Bengal          | 1.816695                                                                 |
| 31        | A&N**                | --                                                                       |
| 32        | Arunachal Pradesh*** | --                                                                       |
|           | TOTAL                | 1008.14477                                                               |

( ₹ in Crore)

* Puducherry specially requested to join the Scheme and has since operationalized one exclusive POCSO Court in May 2023.

** A&N islands has consented to join the Scheme.

*** Arunachal Pradesh has opted out of the Scheme citing a very low number of pending cases of Rape and POCSO Act.

Note: 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.