PANAJI
Goa’s fast track courts have handled 0.032% of the total cases disposed of under the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) scheme across India in the last five years.
According to official data presented by Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for the Ministry of Law and Justice, in the Rajya Sabha, Goa has one FTSC, which includes an exclusive POCSO Court.
Since the scheme’s launch in October 2019, it has disposed of 95 cases, including 61 under FTSC and 34 under the POCSO Court.
Nationwide, a total of 2,99,624 cases have been resolved under the scheme since its start.
The data also shows that there are four functional fast track courts (FTCs) in Goa out of 863 operating across the country. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number, with 373 FTCs as of December 31, 2024.
The government has been working to speed up the trials of rape and POCSO Act cases through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, which has been in place since October 2019.
The scheme has been extended twice and will now run until March 31, 2026, with a budget of Rs 1,952.23 crore, including Rs 1,207.24 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund.
As of the latest updates, 747 FTSCs, including 406 exclusive POCSO courts, are operating in 30 States and Union Territories.
The High Courts have reported that FTSCs handle cases more efficiently than regular courts, disposing of an average of 9.5 cases per month compared to 3.2 cases per month in traditional courts.
“The disposal rate of Rape and POCSO Act cases in FTSCs is much higher than in regular courts. While regular courts clear around 3.2 cases per month, FTSCs manage about 9.5 cases,” explained the Minister of State.
