A victim-centric criminal justice system needs more than speed. Evaluate measures such as Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres and child-friendly courts.

The Cabinet has extended the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) scheme for 2026–31. It will expand to 850 courts, and FTSCs have disposed of 4,02,457 cases so far [1]. The new cycle also funds Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres (VWDCs) and child-friendly court spaces [1]. This shows that how a victim is heard matters as much as how fast.

Why speed alone falls short

• Disposal is not the same as justice. The POCSO conviction rate was only 34.9% (2019) [6], so most completed trials still ended without a conviction.
• Secondary victimisation: facing the accused, being questioned again and again, and hostile courtrooms push victims to turn hostile.

Merits of VWDCs and child-friendly courts

• Shielded testimony: FTSCs set up VWDCs inside court premises so victims can depose safely and courts become child-friendly [2].
• Better evidence, recorded early: they support POCSO Section 35, which requires the child's evidence within 30 days of cognizance [3]. This reduces trauma-driven retractions.
• Continuity of prosecution: each 2026 court unit gets a dedicated Special Public Prosecutor [1].
• Backed by evaluation: the NPC evaluation recommended adequate VWDCs and timely DNA reports [4].

Limitations

• Uneven reach: States join voluntarily, and only 29 States/UTs take part [1], so protection depends on where the victim lives.
• Buildings without trained people: the IIPA evaluation sought Special Judges with POCSO experience, sensitisation training and women prosecutors [5]. The 2026 scheme mandates none of these.
• Forensic bottleneck: NPC found that late FSL/DNA reports kept FTSC cases pending for about a year [4]. A child-friendly room cannot make up for a delayed lab.
• No outcome metrics: monitoring tracks disposals, not convictions or victim experience [1].
• Fair-trial balance: shielding the victim must not weaken the accused's right to cross-examine.

Way forward

• Make VWDCs mandatory in every district and fix time limits for forensic reports [4].
• Appoint trained, gender-sensitive staff as IIPA advised [5]. Link victims to support persons and compensation.
• Publish conviction and victim-feedback data for each court.

VWDCs and child-friendly courts are a real step from speed-centric to dignity-centric justice. But on their own they are only partly effective. Pairing them with trained personnel, forensic capacity and outcome-based monitoring would give real effect to Article 21's promise of a fair, humane trial and to SDG 16.