The number of rape cases in the Capital has almost doubled since the December 16 gang-rape and torture of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in a moving bus who died in a Singapore hospital 13 days later. The fast track courts (FTCs), created in the wake of the outrage over the horrendous incident, and is grappling with nearly 2,000 cases of rape, including gang-rape at present.
Statistics reveal that as many as 1,043 cases of rape remain pending in six district courts where the FTCs were set up. Nearly 1,121 cases of rape in the first eight months were reported since January this year, which is way higher than the figures recorded in preceding years. Available data with the National Crime Records Bureau show that 706 cases alleging rape were registered across Delhi in 2012 alone. The NCRB also revealed that nearly 6,000 cases of crime against women were reported in 2012 alone.
“Reporting and recording of sexual violence cases has increased in Delhi but the figures themselves speak about the safety of women. The rapes cases have doubled compared to last year and these are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Saurabh Duggal, criminal lawyer, Delhi High Court. For speedy trials in rape cases, six fast track courts were set up across the six district courts. While the cases of rape have gone up, the pendency of such cases in fast track courts has equally increased.
According to advocate Kaustubha Mani, who is closely working with NGOs across the country, including Social Awareness Newer Alternatives (SANA) in Delhi, opined that the main reason behind the pendency of such cases was the inadequate number of fast track courts. “Though they were set up but the number is very insufficient. Only six FTCs cannot wrap up cases efficiently,” he said, while blaming the courts for “hasty decisions due to the overload that led to ineffective decisions making them redundant.”
Of the six FTCs, two are located at the Tis Hazari complex - one for cases from West Delhi, the other from Central and North Delhi. There is an FTC each in the court complexes at Rohini (North-West and Outer Delhi); Saket (South and South-East Delhi); Dwarka (South-West Delhi); and, Karkardooma (Central and North Delhi).