Lok Sabha Question No. 3592 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-21
Subject: Fast Track Court
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3592 ANSWERED ON - 21/03/2025

## FAST TRACK COURT

## †3592. Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant:

Will the Minister of LAWANDJUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details in respect of establishment and functioning of Fast Track Courts/New Fast Track Courts in the country indicating the number of pending cases across the country, during the last three years and the current year, State-wise;
- (b) the total amount of funds allocated and utilized for the establishment of these Courts during the said period;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to allocate more funds to the States for the establishment of such Courts and appointment of more number of Judges, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has conducted any study to assess the efficiency of Fast Track Courts as compared to regular Courts; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a) to (c): Setting up of subordinate courts including Fast Track Courts (FTCs) and their functioning falls within the domain of the State/UT Governments in consultation with their respective High Courts. Allocation of funds for such courts is required to be done by the State Governments as per their need and resources. The 14 th Finance Commission set up by the Government of India had recommended the setting up of 1800 FTCs during 2015-2020 for speedy trial of specific cases of heinous nature, civil cases related to women, children, senior citizen, disabled persons, persons infected with terminal ailments etc. and property related cases pending for more than 5 years. The Finance Commission had urged upon the State Governments to utilize enhanced fiscal space available through tax devolution for this purpose. The Union Government has also urged the State/UT Governments to allocate funds for the setting up of

FTCs from the Financial Year 2015-16 onward. In this regard, the State/UT Governments have set up 860 FTCs as on 31.01.2025. The State/UT-wise details of number of FTCs made functional during last three years and the current year along with the pendency as of January, 2025 are at Annexure -I . The Union Government has repeatedly urged the State/UT Governments since 2015-16 onwards to set up more FTCs to achieve the target. The setting up of more FTCs has also featured as one of the agenda items in the Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices. No central assistance is being provided for setting up of Fast Track Courts.

As per Article 233 of the Constitution of India, the selection and appointment of judges in District and Subordinate Courts fall under the purview of the Governor of the respective State, in consultation with the High Court having jurisdiction over that State. The Central Government has no direct role in the selection, recruitment and appointment of judicial officers in the District/ Subordinate Judiciary level including, Fast Track Courts (FTCs). The details of vacancies of judges and other categories of officials in FTCs are not maintained at the central level.

To implement the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and comply with the directives of the Supreme Court to establish Special Courts exclusively dealing with POCSO Act cases, the Government devised a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in August, 2019. This Scheme aimed to establish Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO Courts nationwide for expeditious disposal of pending cases pertaining to rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in a time-bound manner.

The Scheme has been extended twice, with the latest extension up to 31 st March 2026, targeting the establishment of 790 courts. Thefinancial outlay of the scheme is Rs. 1952.23 cr. with Rs. 1207.24 cr. as central share to be incurred from Nirbhaya Fund.As per the data submitted by the High Courts, 745 FTSCs including 404 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) courts are functional in 30 States/UTs, as on 31.01.2025. The State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including exclusive POCSO courts, are at Annexure-II.

A sum of ₹ 1034.55 Crore has been released to the States/UTs since its inception to ensure the smooth functioning of the courts, which includes Rs.200.00 Crore released in the current F.Y. 2024-25. The funds are released on CSS Pattern (60:40, 90:10) and cover the salaries of one Judicial Officer, seven support staff, and a flexi grant to cover day-to-day expenditures. The funds are released to the States/UTs on a reimbursement basis, determined by the number of functional courts in the State/UT concerned.

(d) & (e): Considering the paramount importance of the safety and security of women and children, the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) Scheme was extended with the approval of the competent authority for a further period from 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2026. As one of thepreconditions to this extension, a third-party evaluation was conducted in 2023 by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA).

***

## ANNEXURE- I

## State/UT-wise status of functional Fast Track Courts during the last three years and the current year along with the pendency as of January, 2025

| Sl. No.   | Name of State/UT                   | Functional FTC   | Functional FTC   | Functional FTC   | Functional FTC   | Pendency as on 31/01/2025   |
|-----------|------------------------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-----------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | Name of State/UT                   | As on 31/12/2022 | As on 31/12/2023 | As on 31/12/2024 | As on 31/01/2025 | Pendency as on 31/01/2025   |
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh                     | 22               | 22               | 21               | 21               | 7089                        |
| 2.        | Andaman &Nicobar Island            | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 3.        | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 4.        | Assam                              | 16               | 15               | 15               | 16               | 12699                       |
| 5.        | Bihar                              | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 6.        | Chandigarh                         | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 7.        | Chhattisgarh                       | 23               | 23               | 27               | 25               | 4701                        |
| 8.        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Diu &Daman | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 9.        | Delhi                              | 10               | 27               | 26               | 26               | 6814                        |
| 10.       | Goa                                | 4                | 6                | 4                | 4                | 1765                        |
| 11.       | Gujarat                            | 54               | 54               | 54               | 54               | 5693                        |
| 12.       | Haryana                            | 6                | 6                | 6                | 6                | 807                         |
| 13.       | Himachal Pradesh                   | 3                | 3                | 3                | 3                | 351                         |
| 14.       | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 4                | 8                | 8                | 8                | 1464                        |
| 15.       | Jharkhand                          | 34               | 36               | 40               | 39               | 8249                        |
| 16.       | Karnataka                          | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 17.       | Kerala                             | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 18.       | Ladakh                             | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 19.       | Lakshadweep                        | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 20.       | Madhya Pradesh                     | 1                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 21.       | Maharashtra                        | 111              | 95               | 101              | 100              | 174556                      |
| 22.       | Manipur                            | 6                | 6                | 6                | 6                | 226                         |
| 23.       | Meghalaya                          | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 24.       | Mizoram                            | 2                | 2                | 2                | 2                | 268                         |
| 25.       | Nagaland                           | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 26.       | Odisha                             | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 27.       | Puducherry                         | 0                | 0                | 1                | 1                | 3065                        |
| 28.       | Punjab                             | 7                | 7                | 7                | 7                | 141                         |
| 29.       | Rajasthan                          | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 30.       | Sikkim                             | 2                | 2                | 2                | 2                | 16                          |
| 31.       | Tamil Nadu                         | 73               | 72               | 72               | 72               | 78855                       |
| 32.       | Telangana                          | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                           |
| 33.       | Tripura                            | 3                | 3                | 3                | 3                | 1342                        |
| 34.       | Uttar Pradesh                      | 372              | 372              | 373              | 373              | 1082109                     |
| 35.       | Uttarakhand                        | 7                | 4                | 4                | 4                | 1066                        |
| 36.       | West Bengal                        | 88               | 88               | 88               | 88               | 84409                       |
| TOTAL     | TOTAL                              | 848              | 851              | 863              | 860              | 1475685                     |

## ANNEXURE- II

## State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO courts (As on 31.01.2025)

| Sl.No.   | Name of State/UT     | Functional Courts               | Functional Courts   |
|----------|----------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------|
| Sl.No.   | Name of State/UT     | FTSCs including exclusive POCSO | Exclusive POCSO     |
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh       | 16                              | 16                  |
| 2        | Assam                | 17                              | 17                  |
| 3        | Bihar                | 46                              | 46                  |
| 4        | Chandigarh           | 1                               | 0                   |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh         | 15                              | 11                  |
| 6        | Delhi                | 16                              | 11                  |
| 7        | Goa                  | 1                               | 0                   |
| 8        | Gujarat              | 35                              | 24                  |
| 9        | Haryana              | 16                              | 12                  |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh     | 6                               | 3                   |
| 11       | J&K                  | 4                               | 2                   |
| 12       | Jharkhand            | 22                              | 16                  |
| 13       | Karnataka            | 30                              | 17                  |
| 14       | Kerala               | 55                              | 14                  |
| 15       | Madhya Pradesh       | 67                              | 56                  |
| 16       | Maharashtra          | 4                               | 1                   |
| 17       | Manipur              | 2                               | 0                   |
| 18       | Meghalaya            | 5                               | 5                   |
| 19       | Mizoram              | 3                               | 1                   |
| 20       | Nagaland             | 1                               | 0                   |
| 21       | Odisha               | 44                              | 23                  |
| 22       | Puducherry*          | 1                               | 1                   |
| 23       | Punjab               | 12                              | 3                   |
| 24       | Rajasthan            | 45                              | 30                  |
| 25       | Tamil Nadu           | 14                              | 14                  |
| 26       | Telangana            | 36                              | 0                   |
| 27       | Tripura              | 3                               | 1                   |
| 28       | Uttarakhand          | 4                               | 0                   |
| 29       | Uttar Pradesh        | 218                             | 74                  |
| 30       | West Bengal          | 6                               | 6                   |
| 31       | A&N Islands**        | 0                               | 0                   |
| 32       | Arunachal Pradesh*** | 0                               | 0                   |
|          | TOTAL                | 745                             | 404                 |

Note: At the inception of the Scheme, the allocation of FTSCs across the country was based on a criterion of 65 to 165 pending cases per court, meaning one FTSC would be established for every 65 to 165 pending cases. Based on that, only 31 States/UTs were eligible to join the Scheme.