SC asks for govt stand on fast track courts

With a big question mark hanging over the fate of 1734 fast track courts (FTCs)in the absence of non-allocation of funds, the Supreme Court today asked the UPA government to tell it within two days whether or not it intended to continue these special courts.

A Bench comprising Justice SB Sinha and Justice SH Kapadia told Solicitor General GE Vahanvati that it was a serious matter as all along the court was kept under the impression that the FTCs, set up to dispose of long-pending criminal cases, would be continued for another five years.

Vahanvati promptly told the court that he would discuss the matter with Finance Minister P Chidmabaram and get back to the court on Wednesday, the next date of hearing. The FTCs, conceived by former Law Minister Arun Jaitley, started functioning with a central grant of Rs 509.2 crore given by the 11th Finance Commission.

The law minister, in his address on the "law day" on November 26, last year had said the FTCs would not only be continued but more courts of magistrates could be added to it considering the problem of accumulation of arrears. "I am happy to announce that the fast track courts scheme would be continued beyond 2005, at least for another five years," he had said.

However, the government had on March 14 informed the Rajya Sabha that the 12th Finance Commission was requested to provide funds for the continuance of the existing FTCs, but the the Commission had made no recommendations in this regard.