New Delhi: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is surrounded by the incident of rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata, had recently written a letter to the Prime Minister, stating the need for strict laws and setting up of fast track courts for women's safety. But the truth is that her own government has been sitting idle in the matter of fast track courts.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi, while responding to Mamata, reminded how indifferent and lethargic the West Bengal government has been in setting up special fast track courts for speedy disposal of crimes against women.

The target is to establish 123 fast track courts in 2019

In 2019, the target was to build 123 fast track courts but not even one could be built by 2023. Last year, the state was given the target of setting up 17 special fast track courts and money too. But till now the state government has been able to set up only six courts.

Not only this, despite repeated reminders from the Centre, the West Bengal government did not implement the women helpline facility. Mamta Banerjee had written a letter to the Prime Minister on 22 August. In which Mamta Banerjee had stated the need for strict central law and establishment of special fast track courts. After what Annapurna Devi said in the reply letter with figures, an uncomfortable situation may arise for the state government.

There is a provision for life imprisonment and death penalty

Annapurna said that there are stringent provisions in the Indian Judicial Code 2023 to deal with crimes against women. Sexual crimes and rape have severe punishment ranging from life imprisonment to death penalty. There is a centrally funded scheme to set up special fast track courts for speedy disposal of such crimes which is based on 60-40 sharing. The scheme was started in October 2019.

By 30 June 2024, a total of 752 fast track courts have been established, of which 409 are POCSO courts exclusively for sexual crimes against children. These courts are in 30 states and union territories, in which a total of 253000 cases have been disposed of since their establishment. In this, West Bengal had to establish 123 special fast track courts, of which 20 were special POCSO and the rest 103 were mixed fast track courts. But by mid-June last year, not a single special fast track court was established in West Bengal. On June 8, 2023, the West Bengal government wrote a letter to the Center requesting to revise the plan and expressed its desire to establish fast track courts. Then West Bengal was given the target of establishing 17 fast track courts, out of which only six special POCSO courts have been established by 30 June 2024, the remaining 11 fast track special courts are still not established while 48600 cases of rape and POCSO are pending in the state.