Center Responds To CM Mamata Banerjee’s Letter To PM Over Raising Rape Cases

The Centre has responded to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the increasing incidents of rape across India. In its reply, the Centre highlighted that West Bengal has been allocated 123 fast-track courts (FTSCs) to expedite the handling of such cases, but noted that a significant number of these courts are not yet operational.

This response comes in the wake of public outrage following the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College earlier this month. In her letter, Banerjee demanded stricter central laws to punish rapists, citing alarming statistics that indicate approximately 90 rapes occur daily in the country, many of which result in the victims’ deaths.

Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi criticized the West Bengal government for its failure to implement essential emergency helplines, including the Women Helpline, Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), and Child Helpline. She emphasized the state’s inability to operationalize the FTSCs, which were established under a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at addressing a significant backlog of sexual offense cases.

The FTSC initiative, launched in October 2019, aimed to expedite trials for pending cases related to rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. Despite the allocation of 123 FTSCs to West Bengal, including 20 exclusive POCSO courts, as of mid-June 2023, none had been made operational. Although the state government had committed to starting seven FTSCs, only six exclusive POCSO courts were functional as of June 30, 2024, leaving 11 FTSCs yet to be initiated amid a backlog of 48,600 cases.

Devi urged the West Bengal government to take immediate action to create a safer environment for women and children, stressing the need for effective measures to combat discrimination and violence against them.