Kolkata, Thane incidents put focus of Fast Track Special Courts

NEW DELHI: A nationwide uproar over the rape-murder of a Kolkata medic and the sexual assault on two kindergarten girls in Thane has led to a demand for fast-track trial in cases of crimes against women and children. While several opposition leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, are demanding speedy justice for the victims, central government officials said a fast track court scheme launched nearly five years ago has disposed of cases in a timely manner.

The government launched the Fast Track Special Court (FTSC) scheme in 2019 and since then, these courts have disposed of more than 2.53 lakh cases. Officials in the Ministry of Law's Department of Justice said in some trials, FTSCs convicted people in a considerably "short time", ranging from four days to four months. Following the passage of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act in 2018, the government had decided to set up 1,023 FTSCs, including 389 to deal exclusively with Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, in 31 states and Union Territories (UTs).

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As on June 30, 752 FTSCs, including 409 exclusive POCSO courts, were operational in 30 states and UTs. The officials pointed out that this year a POCSO court in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura awarded life term to a man within 90 days of commencement of trial in the sexual assault case of an eight-year-old girl. In 2023, a POCSO court in Kerala handed down death penalty to a 28-year-old man within 109 of the offence of rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

In the same year, a POCSO court in Uttar Pradesh's aligarh sentenced a man to seven years in jail in an attempt to rape case in 24 days from the day charges were framed, the officials said. In 2022, a POCSO court in Bihar's araria completed the trial in four days in a rape case involving a six-year-old and awarded death penalty to the convict.