Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs):

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.

Context:

The Cabinet has approved the continuation of 1,023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for another two years, at an outlay of ₹1,572.86 crore.

• The Centre’s share of ₹971.70 crore will come from the Nirbhaya Fund.

About the scheme:

• Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) are being setup as a part of the National Mission for Safety of Women (NMSW).
• The scheme was started in October 2019.
• Implemented by the Department of Justice of the Ministry of Law and Justice.
• It is a Centrally sponsored scheme for expeditious trial and disposal of pending cases of rape and offences against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012.

Features of the FTSCs scheme:

1. The decision on extension of the scheme beyond one year will depend on the recommendations in the external evaluation.
2. The scheme does not intend to create any permanent infrastructure. The courts will be made functional in suitable premises taken on lease or as decided by the States/UTs and respective High Courts.
3. Composition: Each FTSC will have one Judicial Officer and seven staff members. States/UTs may engage judicial officers and court staff on contractual basis where sufficient manpower is not available. Services of retired judicial officers with relevant experience may also be engaged to dispose of cases in the FTSCs.

Benefits and significance of the scheme:

• The scheme includes 389 FTSCs exclusively for POCSO
• Each FTSC is expected to dispose of 41-42 cases in each quarter and at least 165 cases in a year.
• At the time the scheme was launched, the government had set a target of disposing of 1,66,882 cases of rape and POCSO Act cases pending trial in various courts.

Performance of the scheme:

So far, only 597 fast track courts out of the total 1,023 had been set up in the country and expressed its concern at the delay in implementing the scheme.

Need for:

The offences of rape and gang rape of women and children require effective deterrence through fast and time-bound completion of trials relating to sexual offences.

Insta Curious: 

Do you know about the Palermo Protocol? Read Here

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About POCSO.
2. About FTSCs.
3. Establishment.
4. Composition.
5. Function.

Mains Link:

Discuss the need for and significance of FTSCs.

Sources: the Hindu.