Parliament Question: Fast Track Courts and Fast Track Special Courts

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5579 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 27TH MARCH, 2026 FAST TRACK COURTS AND FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS 5579. MS. S JOTHIMANI: Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state: (a) the total number of Fast Track Courts (FTCs) and Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) operational across the country for handling cases related to sexual offences and crimes against women and children, State-wise; (b) the number of such courts functioning in Tamil Nadu, and whether the State has sought additional FTCs based on case pendency and demand, if so, the status thereof; (c) whether the Government has conducted any review or evaluation of the performance of FTCs, including case disposal rates and conviction rates, and if so, the key findings; (d) whether there are challenges related to judicial vacancies, inadequate infrastructure, or funding that are impacting the effectiveness of these courts across States, if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether the Government proposes to expand the number of FTCs under centrally sponsored schemes and increase budgetary allocations for their efficient functioning, 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) to (e): The Fast Track Courts (FTCs) are set up by the States/UTs in consultation with the respective High Courts, as per their requirements and availability of resources. In this regard, the 14th Finance Commission recommended the setting up of 1800 Fast Track Courts (FTCs) during the period 2015–2020 for expeditious trial of specific categories of cases including heinous crimes, cases involving women, children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, individuals afflicted with terminal illnesses, and property-related cases pending for more than five years. As per information received from the High Courts, 862 FTCs are functional across 21 State/UTs including 73 FTCs in Tamil Nadu as on 31.01.2026. The State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Courts (FTCs), is provided at Annexure- I. No central assistance to the States is being provided for setting up of these Fast Track Courts. Central government has not conducted any third-party evaluation of the FTCs in recent past. There is no proposal with the Central government to expand the number of FTCs under centrally sponsored schemes. Further, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the establishment of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) Courts was launched in October, 2019. These 1courts are dedicated to the time-bound trial and disposal of pending cases related to rape and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The Scheme has been extended twice, with the latest extension up to 31st March 2026, for establishment of 790 courts. As per the information made available by the High Courts, as of 31.01.2026, 774 FTSCs, including 398 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts were functional in 29 States/UTs. The State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO courts, are provided at Annexure -II. The number of FTSCs required to be established is determined at the time of approval of the Scheme. The impact of the FTSCs Scheme has been assessed through third-party evaluations conducted during the extensions of the Scheme. The evaluation reports underscored the positive impact of the Scheme and recommended its continuation. 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, quality of investigation, nature of evidence, co-operation of stake holders viz. bar, investigation agencies, legal representation, forensic support, witnesses and litigants and proper application of rules and procedures. *** 2Annexure- I The State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Courts (FTCs) (As on 31.01.2026) Sl. No. Name of the States/UTs Functional FTCs 1 Andhra Pradesh 21 2 Assam 14 3 Chhattisgarh 27 4 Delhi 26 5 Goa 4 6 Gujarat 54 7 Haryana 6 8 Himachal Pradesh 3 9 Jammu & Kashmir 8 10 Jharkhand 41 11 Maharashtra 105 12 Manipur 1 13 Mizoram 2 14 Puducherry 1 15 Punjab 7 16 Sikkim 2 17 Tamil Nadu 73 18 Tripura 2 19 Uttar Pradesh 373 20 Uttarakhand 4 21 West Bengal 88 TOTAL 862 3Annexure-II The State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) (As on 31.01.2026) Functional Courts FTSCs Sl. No. States/UTs including exclusive exclusive POCSO POCSO 1 Andhra Pradesh 16 16 2 Assam 17 17 3 Bihar 54 48 4 Chandigarh 1 0 5 Chhattisgarh 15 11 6 Delhi 16 11 7 Goa 1 0 8 Gujarat 35 24 9 Haryana 18 14 10 Himachal Pradesh 6 3 11 J&K 4 2 12 Karnataka 30 16 13 Kerala 55 14 14 Madhya Pradesh 67 56 15 Maharashtra 37 0 16 Manipur 2 0 17 Meghalaya 5 5 18 Mizoram 3 1 19 Nagaland 1 0 20 Odisha 44 23 21 Puducherry 1 1 22 Punjab 12 3 23 Rajasthan 45 30 24 Tamil Nadu 20 20 25 Telangana 36 0 26 Tripura 3 1 27 Uttarakhand 4 0 28 Uttar Pradesh 218 74 29 West Bengal 8 8 TOTAL 774 398 4