At 54.6 per cent, Chandigarh tops list of UTs in disposal of rape and POCSO cases  

With a disposal rate of 54.6 per cent of rape and POCSO cases, the Fast Track Special Court (FTSC) here has topped the list in all the UTs in performance.

As per official data, a total 447 cases were instituted since the inception of the FTSC in Chandigarh in 2019. Out of these, 265 cases were disposed of till December 2023.

The latest data of performance of Fast Track Special Courts in India has been shared in a report of the India Child Protection (ICP) Research team, which was prepared in association with the Child Marriage Free India organisation.

As per the report, the disposal rate of FTSC of Delhi was recorded at 28. 3 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 25 per cent and Puducherry 16.6 per cent

Maharashtra (80%) and Punjab (71%) have recorded a high rate of disposal of cases, which is well above the national average (52%).

As per the report, average 61 cases have been disposed of in Fast Track Special Court (FTSC)-Chandigarh annually since its inception.

The data shows that a total 447 cases were instituted since FSTC’s inception and out of these, a total of 265 cases were disposed of till December 2023. Around 190 cases are pending in the FTSC, shows the data.

The FTSC has also prepared an action plan for 2024- 2025 under which it has listed 100 cases for disposal in the year. The action plan is prepared to speed up the disposal with fast rate

Pursuant to the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2018, the Central Government is implementing centrally sponsored scheme for setting up of Fast Track Special Courts all over India since October 2019 for expeditious trial and disposal of pending cases pertaining to Rape and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in a time-bound manner.

Bhuwan Ribhu, child rights activist and Founder of Child Marriage Free India, said, “India would need approximately 3 years to clear the existing backlog of 2,02,175 rape and POCSO cases at the level of FTSCs if no new cases are added, the report recommends immediately making all 1,023 FTSCs functional and setting up 1,000 more FTSCs across the country.”