Delhi's Fast-Track Courts Lag: POCSO Trials Take 1,717 Days Against One-Year Deadline

• Delhi's Fast-Track Special Courts (FTSCs) take an average of 1,717 days (nearly five years) to complete POCSO trials, significantly exceeding the one-year statutory deadline.
• As of January 30, Delhi had 2,421 POCSO cases pending across its 11 functional POCSO courts, with a total of 3,361 cases pending in FTSCs.
• Nationally, 774 FTSCs, including 398 exclusive POCSO Courts, have disposed of 3.66 lakh cases since inception, but 2.45 lakh cases remain pending, with 1.42 lakh being POCSO cases.
• Puducherry (180 days) and Andhra Pradesh (257 days) are the fastest in clearing POCSO cases, while Delhi is among the slowest, alongside Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Challenges include overburdened courts, lack of adequate staff and facilities for public prosecutors, and issues with victim availability and false cases, as highlighted by an evaluation report.

Why It Matters: Delhi's fast-track courts severely lag in POCSO trial disposal, taking nearly five times the mandated period.