The Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), meant to speed up trials in rape and child sexual abuse cases, are underperforming in Delhi, according to data recently presented in the Lok Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The national capital figures in a list of States and Union Territories with delayed trials in FTSCs.
In a bid to curb crimes against women and children, the Central government had enacted the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, introducing stricter provisions. By March that year, 1,66,882 rape and POCSO cases were pending in courts across the country.
Concerned by the backlog, in July 2019, the Supreme Court directed that any district with more than 100 pending POCSO cases must have an exclusive special court to handle them.
Acting on this direction, the Central government, in August 2019, launched FTSCs exclusively for cases related to rape and child sexual abuse.
