Lok Sabha Question No. 2215 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-01
Subject: Fast Track Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Kesineni Sivanath

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

****

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2215 ANSWERED ON - 01/08/2025

## FAST TRACK COURTS

## 2215. SHRI KESINENI SIVANATH:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) set up across the country under the Nirbhaya Fund, State-wise;

(b) the number of cases that have been filed and resolved through the FTSCs since their inception, Statewise;

(c) the details regarding the average time taken by these FTSCs to dispose of the cases brought before them;

(d)  the  amount of funds allocated, approved and disbursed for setting up and operationalizing these FTSCs, State-wise and year-wise;

(e) whether the Government has taken any steps to strengthen infrastructure, fill vacancies and ensure the timely disposal of cases in these FTSCs; and

(f) if so, the details thereof?

## 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) & (b): The Department of Justice has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the establishment of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts for expeditious disposal of rape cases and cases under POCSO Act. The Scheme has been extended twice, with the latest extension up to 31st March 2026, for the establishment of 790 courts, at an outlay of Rs.1952.23 cr. with Rs.1207.24 cr. as Central share to be incurred from Nirbhaya Fund.

As  per  the  information  received  from  the  High  Courts,  725  FTSCs,  including  392  exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts are functional in 29 States/UTs (as  on  30.06.2025).  These  Courts  have disposed of 3,34,213 cases since the inception of the Scheme. The State/UT-wise details of functional FTSCs, including e-POCSO Courts along with the number of cases instituted and disposed of by these Courts since their inception, are at Annexure-I .

(c): As per information received from the High Courts, the State/UT-wise details regarding average time taken by FTSCs to dispose of cases are at Annexure -II .  There are several reasons that lead to

delay  in  disposal  of  cases  in  courts  which,  inter-alia,  include  availability  of  physical  infrastructure, complexity of facts involved, nature of evidence, co-operation of stake holders viz. bar, investigation agencies, witnesses and litigants and proper application of rules and procedures. Other factors that lead to delay in disposal of cases include frequent adjournments and lack of adequate arrangement to monitor, track and bunch cases for hearing.

(d): Under the Scheme, the funds are released on CSS pattern (Central share: State share :: 60:40, 90:10) to cover the salaries of 1 Judicial Officer along with 7 support Staff per Court and a Flexi Grant for meeting the day-to-day expenses of the Court. The Department has released a sum of Rs.1034.55 Crore to the States/UTs since inception of the Scheme. The year-wise details of budget allocated and funds released by the Central government are as under:

## (Rs.in Crore)

*Less funds were released against budget allocated in 2021-22 due to COVID lockdown and issues related to the implementation of PFMS

| Financial Year   | Budget Allocated   | Funds released   |
|------------------|--------------------|------------------|
| 2019-20          | 140.00             | 140.00           |
| 2020-21          | 160.00             | 160.00           |
| 2021-22          | 180.00             | 134.55*          |
| 2022-23          | 200.00             | 200.00           |
| 2023-24          | 200.00             | 200.00           |
| 2024-25          | 200.00             | 200.00           |
| 2025-26          | 200.00             | -                |
| TOTAL            | TOTAL              | 1034.55          |

The funds are reimbursed to the States/UTs on the basis of the number of functional courts in the State/UT  concerned.  The  State/UT-wise  and  year-wise  details  of  Central  funds  released  since  the inception of the scheme are at Annexure-III .

(e) and (f): The Central Government has taken several steps to support infrastructure and improve case disposal in FTSCs:

- i. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Development of Judicial Infrastructure supplements efforts of the States in building court halls, residential units, lawyers' halls, toilet complexes, and digital computer rooms for District and Subordinate Courts including FTSCs.  From 15,818 court halls  and  10,211  residential  units  in  the  year  2014,  the  number  of  available  court  halls  and residential  units  have  increased  to  2,2372  (41.43%  increase)  and  19,851  (94.40%  increase) respectively. In addition, 3,128 court halls and 2,772 residential units are under construction.
- ii. In  order  to  strengthen  functioning  of  FTSCs,  regular  review  meetings  are  held  via  Video Conferencing with the States/UTs and the High Courts. The Hon'ble Minister of Law & Justice has written to Hon'ble Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of the High Courts regarding need for timely action and strict compliance with timelines under the POCSO Act and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. In addition, the performance of FTSCs is a regular agenda item in the Inter-State  Zonal  Council  meetings  to  improve  inter-governmental  coordination  and  expedite justice delivery.

As regards the recruitment of judges and staff in FTSCs, filling up of vacant positions of the judicial officers in District and Subordinate courts (including FTSCs) is the responsibility of the State Governments  and  the  concerned  High  Courts. As  per  the  Constitutional  framework,  in  exercise  of powers conferred under proviso to Article 309 read with Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution, the respective  State  Government  in  consultation  with  the  High  Court  frames  the  rules  and  regulations regarding  the  appointment  and  recruitment  of  Judicial  Officers.  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court  vide  order passed in January 2007 in the Malik Mazhar Sultan case, has inter-alia, stipulated certain timelines, which are to be followed by the States and the respective High Courts for recruitment of judges in District and Subordinate Courts.

****

## State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO Courts along with the number of cases instituted and disposed since its inception (As on 30.06.2025)

| Sl. No.   |                      | Functional Courts               | Functional Courts   | Cases Instituted since the inception of the Scheme   | Cumulative Disposal since the inception of the Scheme   |
|-----------|----------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | State/UT             | FTSCs including exclusive POCSO | Exclusive POCSO     | Cases Instituted since the inception of the Scheme   | Cumulative Disposal since the inception of the Scheme   |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh       | 16                              | 16                  | 13790                                                | 7487                                                    |
| 2         | Assam                | 17                              | 17                  | 15378                                                | 8943                                                    |
| 3         | Bihar                | 46                              | 46                  | 35691                                                | 17232                                                   |
| 4         | Chandigarh           | 1                               | 0                   | 588                                                  | 374                                                     |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh         | 15                              | 11                  | 8167                                                 | 6428                                                    |
| 6         | Delhi                | 16                              | 11                  | 6278                                                 | 2718                                                    |
| 7         | Goa                  | 1                               | 0                   | 271                                                  | 116                                                     |
| 8         | Gujarat              | 35                              | 24                  | 21931                                                | 16616                                                   |
| 9         | Haryana              | 18                              | 14                  | 12507                                                | 8087                                                    |
| 10        | Himachal Pradesh     | 6                               | 3                   | 2050                                                 | 1407                                                    |
| 11        | J&K                  | 4                               | 2                   | 808                                                  | 311                                                     |
| 12        | Karnataka            | 30                              | 17                  | 19251                                                | 14031                                                   |
| 13        | Kerala               | 55                              | 14                  | 32494                                                | 26202                                                   |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh       | 67                              | 56                  | 42826                                                | 32113                                                   |
| 15        | Maharashtra          | 2                               | 1                   | 21034                                                | 20744                                                   |
| 16        | Manipur              | 2                               | 0                   | 243                                                  | 194                                                     |
| 17        | Meghalaya            | 5                               | 5                   | 1830                                                 | 733                                                     |
| 18        | Mizoram              | 3                               | 1                   | 344                                                  | 269                                                     |
| 19        | Nagaland             | 1                               | 0                   | 127                                                  | 68                                                      |
| 20        | Odisha               | 44                              | 23                  | 29319                                                | 20254                                                   |
| 21        | Puducherry           | 1                               | 1                   | 380                                                  | 162                                                     |
| 22        | Punjab               | 12                              | 3                   | 6716                                                 | 5265                                                    |
| 23        | Rajasthan            | 45                              | 30                  | 24324                                                | 19432                                                   |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu           | 14                              | 14                  | 15433                                                | 10199                                                   |
| 25        | Telangana            | 36                              | 0                   | 20161                                                | 11379                                                   |
| 26        | Tripura              | 3                               | 1                   | 713                                                  | 489                                                     |
| 27        | Uttarakhand          | 4                               | 0                   | 3024                                                 | 1930                                                    |
| 28        | Uttar Pradesh        | 218                             | 74                  | 184159                                               | 91459                                                   |
| 29        | West Bengal          | 8                               | 8                   | 5611                                                 | 457                                                     |
| 30        | Jharkhand *          | 0                               | 0                   | 13324                                                | 9114                                                    |
| 31        | A&N Islands**        | 0                               | 0                   | 0                                                    | 0                                                       |
| 32        | Arunachal Pradesh*** | 0                               | 0                   | 0                                                    | 0                                                       |
|           | TOTAL                | 725                             | 392                 | 538772                                               | 334213                                                  |

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.

* The State of Jharkhand has decided to exit the FTSC Scheme vide letter dated 07.07.2025. However, the cumulative disposal of 9,114 cases since the inception of the Scheme up to May 2025 continues to be included in the overall disposal figures reported under the FTSC Scheme.

** A&N islands has consented to join the scheme, but is yet to operationalize any court.

***Arunachal Pradesh has opted out of the Scheme citing a very low number of pending cases of Rape and POCSO Act.

## Annexure-II

Statement showing the average time taken by Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for

## disposal of cases related to Rape and the POCSO Act

| Sl. No.   | State/UT          | Average Time taken for Trial in FTSCs (in days)   | Average Time taken for Trial in FTSCs (in days)   |
|-----------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | State/UT          | RAPE                                              | POCSO                                             |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh    | -                                                 | 257                                               |
| 2         | Assam             | -                                                 | 940                                               |
| 3         | Bihar             | -                                                 | 941                                               |
| 4         | Chandigarh        | 760                                               | 425                                               |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh      | 365                                               | 300                                               |
| 6         | Delhi             | 1562                                              | 1717                                              |
| 7         | Goa               | 730                                               | 365                                               |
| 8         | Gujarat           | 1716                                              | 869                                               |
| 9         | Haryana           | 605                                               | 545                                               |
| 10        | Himachal Pradesh  | 407                                               | 462                                               |
| 11        | Jammu &Kashmir    | 1095                                              | 730                                               |
| 12        | Jharkhand         | 730                                               | 545                                               |
| 13        | Karnataka         | 910                                               | 724                                               |
| 14        | Kerala            | 999                                               | 594                                               |
| 15        | Madhya Pradesh    | 365                                               | 395                                               |
| 16        | Maharashtra       | -                                                 | 575                                               |
| 17        | Manipur           | 1395                                              | 1305                                              |
| 18        | Meghalaya         | -                                                 | 910                                               |
| 19        | Mizoram           | -                                                 | 1155                                              |
| 20        | Nagaland          | -                                                 | 1185                                              |
| 21        | Odisha            | 439                                               | 560                                               |
| 22        | Puducherry        | -                                                 | 180                                               |
| 23        | Punjab            | 650                                               | 530                                               |
| 24        | Rajasthan         | 1028                                              | 732                                               |
| 25        | Tamil Nadu        | -                                                 | 466                                               |
| 26        | Telangana         | 461                                               | 408                                               |
| 27        | Tripura           | 2097                                              | 871                                               |
| 28        | Uttarakhand       | 508                                               | 517                                               |
| 29        | Uttar Pradesh     | 606.41                                            | 1116.27                                           |
| 30        | West Bengal       | -                                                 | 910                                               |
| 31        | A&N Islands       | -                                                 | -                                                 |
| 32        | Arunachal Pradesh | -                                                 | -                                                 |

* Source: As per information received from the High Courts

## Annexure-III

The State/UT-wise details of Central Share of funds released since the inception of the FTSCs Scheme (Rs. in Crore)

| Sl. No.   | State/UT                    | Amount released in 2019-20   |   Amount released in 2020-21 | Amount released in 2021-22   |   Amount released in 2022-23 | Amount released in 2023-24   | Amount released in 2024-25   |
|-----------|-----------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh              | 1.8                          |                      0       | 0                            |                      0       | 0                            | 0                            |
| 2         | Assam                       | 2.85625                      |                      1.86875 | 3.375                        |                      6.7325  | 5.528655                     | 10.975085                    |
| 3         | Bihar                       | 2.025                        |                     15.2625  | 20.25                        |                     11.895   | 9.874035                     | 11.35878                     |
| 4         | Chandigarh                  | 0.1875                       |                      0       | 0                            |                      0       | 0                            | 0                            |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh                | 3.375                        |                      3.375   | 4.259                        |                      3.93    | 3.25215                      | 3.70395                      |
| 6         | Delhi                       | 3.6                          |                      0       | 0                            |                      4.2225  | 3.46896                      | 1.97544                      |
| 7         | Goa                         | 0.225                        |                      0       | 0                            |                      0.47255 | 0.21681                      | 0.49386                      |
| 8         | Gujarat                     | 7.875                        |                      7.875   | 0                            |                      9.26    | 7.58835                      | 8.64255                      |
| 9         | Haryana                     | 3.6                          |                      3.6     | 3.6                          |                      4.2225  | 3.46896                      | 7.90176                      |
| 10        | Himachal Pradesh            | 1.0125                       |                      1.51875 | 0                            |                      2.375   | 1.95129                      | 2.22237                      |
| 11        | Jammu &Kashmir              | 0.5625                       |                      0       | 2.635                        |                      1.58    | 2.32086                      | 1.48158                      |
| 12        | Jharkhand                   | 4.95                         |                      4.95    | 0                            |                      5.825   | 4.76982                      | 0                            |
| 13        | Karnataka                   | 6.975                        |                      0       | 6.635                        |                      7.3925  | 7.45091                      | 7.65483                      |
| 14        | Kerala                      | 8.4                          |                      0       | 0                            |                      7.405   | 25.39836                     | 13.58115                     |
| 15        | Madhya Pradesh              | 15.075                       |                     15.075   | 26.175                       |                     17.72    | 15.37627                     | 16.54431                     |
| 16        | Maharashtra                 | 31.05                        |                      0       | 0                            |                      8.72    | 6.59259                      | 1.23465                      |
| 17        | Manipur                     | 0.675                        |                      0.675   | 0.3375                       |                      0.785   | 0.65043                      | 0.74079                      |
| 18        | Meghalaya                   | 1.6875                       |                      0       | 0                            |                      1.977   | 1.626075                     | 1.851975                     |
| 19        | Mizoram                     | 1.0125                       |                      1.0125  | 2.02625                      |                      1.18    | 0.975645                     | 1.111185                     |
| 20        | Nagaland                    | 0.3375                       |                      0.3375  | 0                            |                      0.3875  | 0.325215                     | 0.370395                     |
| 21        | Odisha                      | 5.4                          |                      1.3     | 16.2                         |                     11.64    | 9.52128                      | 10.86492                     |
| 22        | Puducherry                  | 0                            |                      0       | 0.1125                       |                      0       | 0.195975                     | 0.24693                      |
| 23        | Punjab                      | 2.7                          |                      0       | 0                            |                      4.312   | 3.95972                      | 5.92632                      |
| 24        | Rajasthan                   | 5.85                         |                     14.4     | 19.745                       |                     11.895   | 21.1383                      | 22.2237                      |
| 25        | Tamil Nadu                  | 3.15                         |                      3.15    | 2.59                         |                      6.6225  | 6.496035                     | 6.91404                      |
| 26        | Telangana                   | 8.1                          |                      0       | 0                            |                      8.9875  | 7.60671                      | 4.44474                      |
| 27        | Tripura                     | 1.0125                       |                      1.0125  | 0                            |                      1.1725  | 0.975645                     | 1.111185                     |
| 28        | Uttarakhand                 | 2.7                          |                      0       | 2.092                        |                      1.53    | 1.30086                      | 1.48158                      |
| 29        | Uttar Pradesh               | 13.80625                     |                     84.2938  | 24.525                       |                     57.68    | 47.26458                     | 53.83074                     |
| 30        | West Bengal                 | 0                            |                      0       | 0                            |                      0       | 0.70551                      | 1.111185                     |
| 31        | A&N Islands                 | 0                            |                      0       | 0                            |                      0       | 0                            | 0                            |
| 32        | Arunachal Pradesh           | 0                            |                      0       | 0                            |                      0       | 0                            | 0                            |
|           | TOTAL                       | 140.00                       |                    159.706   | 134.5573                     |                    199.922   | 200.00                       | 200.00                       |
|           | Third Party Evaluation Cost |                              |                      0.29    |                              |                      0.07788 |                              |                              |
|           | GRAND TOTAL                 | 140.00                       |                    160       | 134.55                       |                    200       | 200.00                       | 200.00                       |

Note: For the current FY 2025-26, an allocation of ₹200 crore has been made; however, no funds have been released so far.