Union Minister Criticizes West Bengal Over Non-Operational Fast Track Courts

Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi criticized the West Bengal government for failing to implement 123 Fast Track Special Courts meant for handling cases of rape and the POCSO Act. Despite repeated reminders, essential safety measures and helpline services still remain unimplemented in the state.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi has accused the West Bengal government of failing to operationalize 123 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) meant for handling rape and POCSO Act cases. Despite being allocated 20 exclusive POCSO Courts and 103 combined FTSCs, none have been made functional as of mid-June, 2023.

Highlighting the alarming backlog, Minister Devi stated that over 48,600 cases are pending in West Bengal, with only six FTSCs operational out of the revised target of 17. She demanded immediate action from the state government, calling their inaction a gross neglect of women's and children's safety.

In addition to the non-functional courts, Minister Devi lambasted the state for failing to implement emergency helplines such as Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), and Child Helpline despite numerous requests from the central government. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had earlier urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up central fast-track courts to address the increasing occurrence of rape and rape-murder cases across the country.