"Fast Track Special Courts have sped up disposal but have not ended pendency in sexual-offence cases." Critically examine with reference to the FTSC scheme.

The Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) scheme was launched on 02.10.2019 under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018. Since then, it has disposed of 4,02,457 rape and POCSO cases. On 04.11.2026, the Cabinet extended it to 2031 and raised the target from 779 to 850 courts [1]. The statement is largely valid. FTSCs have made trials faster, but problems in the wider system keep cases pending.

How FTSCs have sped up disposal

• Dedicated capacity: 779 courts are working, and 399 of them hear only POCSO cases. Each has a judicial officer and its own Special Public Prosecutor [1].
• Pendency relief: the NPC evaluation (2020) found that the number of pending cases fell after the scheme began [2].
• Judicial push and targeting: in Suo Motu WP (Crl.) 1/2019, the Supreme Court ordered POCSO courts in every district with more than 100 pending cases. New courts are now placed using pendency data [1].
• Victim-centric design: Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres reduce the trauma that the trial itself can cause victims. This helps them testify on time [1].

Why pendency persists

• Too few courts: only 597 of 1,023 planned courts were working in 2021 [3], and only 779 in 2026 [1]. Joining is voluntary, and Jharkhand left in 2025 [4].
• Forensic delays: NPC found that cases stayed pending for about a year because lab and DNA reports came late. Karnataka had only two labs [2]. This uses up POCSO s.35's one-year trial limit [5]. The 2026 scheme pays for judges and staff, not labs [1].
• Money not released: the Centre only reimburses courts that are actually working. Its total releases from 2019 to March 2026 were Rs.1,210.92 crore [6]. That is roughly what was sanctioned for 2023–26 alone. Parliament found only 39% of the Nirbhaya Fund had been paid out [3].
• Speed is not justice: "disposal" also counts acquittals. The POCSO conviction rate was only about one in three in 2019 [7], and no FTSC-only conviction data is published.

FTSCs speed up trials where courts exist. But pendency is a problem of the whole system, including labs, staffing and the flow of funds. The way forward is to act on NPC's call for more labs and deadlines for forensic reports [2], and on IIPA's call for POCSO-trained judges and women prosecutors [8]. The FTSC Dashboard should also publish conviction figures. Together, these steps would turn the Article 21 right to a speedy trial and SDG 16 into real justice for survivors.