Centre Responds After Mamata Banerjee Raises Concerns About Rapes: Establishment of 123 Fast-Track Courts Planned

The Centre responded to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s concerns about incidents of rape across India by pointing out that despite being allocated 123 fast-track courts for cases of rapes and child abuse, many of them are not yet functional in Bengal. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee demanded a tough central law to punish rapists, highlighting that there are 90 rape cases occurring in the country daily, and many victims are murdered.

She proposed establishing fast-track special courts to expedite trials, suggesting completion within 15 days. Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi, in response to Banerjee’s letter, expressed condolences to the victim’s parents and cited the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita implemented last month that aims to provide stringent punishments for crimes against women.

Regarding fast track courts, she stated that a centrally sponsored scheme had been launched in October 2019, with 752 courts functional in 30 States/UTs, disposing of over 2,53,000 cases. However, in West Bengal, none of the 123 allocated courts were operationalized as of mid-June 2023.

Devi also mentioned that the State Government had not implemented the national helpline set up by the Centre to respond to distress calls from women and children. The minister emphasized that the existing legal framework is stringent enough to address crimes against women and urged the State Government to take full advantage of the legal and schematic provisions made by the Central Government for ensuring safety and security of women and girls in West Bengal.

She expressed hope that the State Government would work towards eliminating discrimination and violence against women and girls and creating a safe and secure environment for them to thrive.