Amidst nationwide outrage over the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar hospital in Kolkata, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien highlighted that West Bengal ranks third in the number of fast-track courts in India.
O'Brien shared a portion of a written response from the Rajya Sabha dated 27 July 2023, on X (formerly Twitter), revealing the numbers of functional fast-track courts across the country.
As of May 2023, West Bengal had 88 operational fast-track courts. Uttar Pradesh led the list with 372, followed by Maharashtra with 97.
Tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his post, O'Brien, who serves as the TMC's parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha, remarked, "Since people from your team are shooting off letters to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, thought you might find this answer in Parliament on fast track courts very informative."
He further pointed out, "Bengal has the third highest number of functional fast-track courts in the country."
The controversy began when Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.
Devi alleged that despite a backlog of 48,600 cases under the Rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), the state had failed to initiate the remaining 11 fast-track special courts.
Devi's letter also criticised the West Bengal government for not implementing key emergency helplines such as the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), and Child Helpline.
In response, CM Banerjee wrote to PM Modi on Friday, stating that 88 fast-track special courts and 62 POCSO-designated courts are already functioning in West Bengal, funded by the state.
Banerjee added that emergency helpline numbers 112 and 1098 are active in the state and that Dial-100 is widely used for emergencies.
She also reiterated her demand for stricter central legislation and severe punishments for heinous crimes like rape and murder.
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