Lok Sabha Question No. 172 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-02
Subject: POCSO Act Cases
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: K. Subbarayan

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

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## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 172 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 2 nd  FEBRUARY 2024

## POCSO ACT CASES

## 172. SHRI SUBBARAYAN K. :

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

- (a) whether the Government has decided to continue the Fast Track Special Courts scheme for the next three years for expeditious disposal of rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the reasons for not making such courts permanent despite the continued rise in rape cases; and
- (d) the details of the existing fast track special courts, State-wise and the number of POCSO cases filed, disposal off and pending in each court at present?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a) :

Yes, Sir.

(b) : The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 28.11.2023 has approved the proposal of the Department for extending the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) Scheme for further 3 years from FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26 with an outlay of ₹1952.23 cr.

- (c) : The primary responsibility to establish subordinate courts including special courts for providing speedy justice in the country lies within the domain of the State/UT Governments who  set  up  such  courts  as  per  their  need  and  resources,  in  consultation  with  their respective High Courts.

However,  in pursuance  to the Criminal  Law  (Amendment)  Act  2018,  the Government of India is implementing the Fast Track Special Courts Scheme since August, 2019  for  expeditious  trial  and  disposal  of  cases  pertaining  to  rape  and  Prevention  of Children  from  Sexual  Offences  (POCSO)  Act,  2012  in  a  time-bound  manner  under Centrally Sponsored Scheme.  The Scheme was initially for one year, which was further extended up to March, 2023. The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 28.11.2023 has further extended the Scheme for another three years - from 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2026.

The Fast Track Special Courts Scheme is a temporary scheme being implemented during the scheme period for the expeditious disposal of pending rape and POCSO Act cases across the country.  It does not intend to create any permanent infrastructure. After the Scheme period, the remaining cases, if any, will be dealt with by the regular courts or other special courts as decided by the State/UT Governments and High Courts.

(d) : As per the data submitted by High Courts, 757 FTSCs including 411 exclusive POCSO Courts are functional in 30 States/UTs as on 31.12.2023. These courts have disposed of more than 2,14,000 cases since the inception of the Scheme while more than 2,02,000 cases are pending. State-wise functional Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts and the total number of POCSO cases filed, disposed off and pending in e-POCSO courts as on 31.12.2023 are given at Annexure .

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## Annexure as referred to in Reply to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 172 for 2 nd  February 2024

State/UT-wise functional FTSCs including e-POCSO courts and the number of cases filed, disposed off and pending in e-POCSO courts as on December 2023

|       |                  | Functional Courts       | Functional Courts   | e-POCSO Cases instituted since the inception of the   | Cumulative Disposal of                          |                                       |
|-------|------------------|-------------------------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| S.NO. | State/UT         | FTSCs including e-POCSO | e- POCSO            | Scheme                                                | e-POCSO cases since the inception of the Scheme | Cumulative Pendency of e- POCSO cases |
| 1     | Andhra Pradesh   | 16                      | 16                  | 11314                                                 | 4083                                            | 7231                                  |
| 2     | Assam            | 17                      | 17                  | 10186                                                 | 4979                                            | 5207                                  |
| 3     | Bihar            | 46                      | 46                  | 27655                                                 | 9939                                            | 17716                                 |
| 4     | Chandigarh       | 1                       | 0                   | 0                                                     | 0                                               | 0                                     |
| 5     | Chhattisgarh     | 15                      | 11                  | 5423                                                  | 3614                                            | 1809                                  |
| 6     | Delhi            | 16                      | 11                  | 3778                                                  | 1034                                            | 2744                                  |
| 7     | Goa              | 1                       | 0                   | 34                                                    | 34                                              | 0                                     |
| 8     | Gujarat          | 35                      | 24                  | 13116                                                 | 8273                                            | 4843                                  |
| 9     | Haryana          | 16                      | 12                  | 7082                                                  | 3982                                            | 3100                                  |
| 10    | Himachal Pradesh | 6                       | 3                   | 1350                                                  | 967                                             | 383                                   |
| 11    | J&K              | 4                       | 2                   | 394                                                   | 70                                              | 324                                   |
| 12    | Jharkhand        | 22                      | 16                  | 7087                                                  | 3809                                            | 3278                                  |
| 13    | Karnataka        | 31                      | 17                  | 9039                                                  | 5894                                            | 3145                                  |
| 14    | Kerala           | 54                      | 14                  | 7313                                                  | 5165                                            | 2148                                  |
| 15    | Madhya Pradesh   | 67                      | 57                  | 27763                                                 | 20092                                           | 7671                                  |
| 16    | Maharashtra      | 19                      | 10                  | 12231                                                 | 10221                                           | 2010                                  |
| 17    | Manipur          | 2                       | 0                   | 0                                                     | 0                                               | 0                                     |
| 18    | Meghalaya        | 5                       | 5                   | 1443                                                  | 382                                             | 1061                                  |
| 19    | Mizoram          | 3                       | 1                   | 82                                                    | 48                                              | 34                                    |
| 20    | Nagaland         | 1                       | 0                   | 3                                                     | 3                                               | 0                                     |
| 21    | Odisha           | 44                      | 23                  | 14880                                                 | 7950                                            | 6930                                  |
| 22    | Puducherry*      | 1                       | 1                   | 265                                                   | 44                                              | 221                                   |
| 23    | Punjab           | 12                      | 3                   | 2331                                                  | 1902                                            | 429                                   |
| 24    | Rajasthan        | 45                      | 30                  | 14025                                                 | 9009                                            | 5016                                  |
| 25    | Tamil Nadu       | 14                      | 14                  | 10668                                                 | 6228                                            | 4440                                  |
| 26    | Telangana        | 36                      | 0                   | 2731                                                  | 2731                                            | 0                                     |
| 27    | Tripura          | 3                       | 1                   | 257                                                   | 184                                             | 73                                    |
| 28    | Uttarakhand      | 4                       | 0                   | 0                                                     | 0                                               | 0                                     |
| 29    | Uttar Pradesh    | 218                     | 74                  | 80467                                                 | 28283                                           | 52184                                 |
| 30    | West Bengal      | 3                       | 3                   | 2996                                                  | 48                                              | 2948                                  |
|       | TOTAL            | 757                     | 411                 | 273913                                                | 138968                                          | 134945                                |