Parliament Question: Fast-Track Courts for Vulnerable Groups

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3360 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 08TH AUGUST, 2025 FAST-TRACK COURTS FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS 3360. SHRI DHAVAL LAXMANBHAI PATEL: Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state: (a) the number of fast-track special courts operational for cases under POCSO and SC/ST Acts as of July 2025; (b) whether the Government is working to improve digital case management and reduce pendency; and (c) the capacity-building measures for judges and legal aid personnel working in tribal and rural courts? 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): A Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the establishment of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) Courts was launched in October, 2019, following the enactment of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and the order of Hon’ble Supreme Court [Suo Motu Writ (Criminal) No. 1/2019]. These courts are dedicated to the time-bound trial and disposal of pending cases related to rape and crimes 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. The financial outlay under the scheme is ₹1952.23 crore with ₹1207.24 crore as Central Share to be incurred from Nirbhaya Fund on the CSS pattern. As of 30.06.2025, 725 FTSCs, including 392 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts are functional in 29 States/UTs, which have disposed of 3,34,213 cases since the inception of the Scheme. The State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) are at Annexure-I. 1As per information received from the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, two central Acts have been enacted namely, The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, which prescribes punishment for enforcement of any disability arising from practice of untouchability and The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The responsibility of implementation of these Acts lies upon the concerned State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. Section 14 of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 as amended in 2015 specifies that for the purpose of providing for speedy trial, the State Government shall, with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court, establish an Exclusive Special Court for one or more districts, provided that in Districts where less number of cases under this Act is recorded, the State Government shall, with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court, specify for such Districts, the Court of sessions to be a Special Court to try the offences under the Act. As per information received from States/UTs and available with the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, 211 Exclusive Special Courts have been established across the country to deal with offences registered under the SC/ST (PoA) Act, 1989. (b): The resolution of pending cases in courts is within the exclusive domain of the judiciary. However, the Government is committed towards facilitating expeditious disposal of cases by judiciary and reducing pendency. To this end, the Government has taken several initiatives to create an enabling ecosystem for faster disposal of cases by the judiciary which include the following: i. The National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms was set up in August, 2011, with the twin objectives of increasing access to justice by reducing delays in the system and enhancing accountability through structural changes and by setting performance standards and capacities. The Mission has been pursuing a coordinated approach for phased liquidation of arrears and pendency in judicial administration, which, inter-alia, involves better infrastructure for courts including computerization, increase in sanctioned strength of District and Subordinate Courts, policy and legislative measures in the areas prone to excessive litigation and re-engineering of court procedure for quick disposal of cases and emphasis on human resource development. ii. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for development of Judicial Infrastructure, funds are being released to States/UTs for construction of court halls, residential quarters for judicial officers, lawyers’ halls, toilet complexes and digital computer rooms that ease the life of various stakeholders including the litigants, thereby aiding justice delivery. As on 30.06.2025, Rs. 12,101.89 crores have been released since the inception of this Scheme in 1993-94. The number of court halls has increased from 15,818 2(as on 30.06.2014) to 22,372 (as on 30.06.2025) and the number of residential units has increased from 10,211 (as on 30.06.2014) to 19,851 (as on 30.06.2025), under this Scheme. iii. Under Phase I and II of the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was leveraged for IT enablement of District and Subordinate Courts and 18,735 District and Subordinate Courts were computerized till 2023. WAN connectivity was provided to 2977 sites. Video Conferencing facility was enabled between 3,240 court complexes and 1,272 corresponding jails. 778 eSewa Kendras (facilitation centres) were established to bridge the digital divide by providing citizen centric services to lawyers and litigants. 21 virtual courts were set up in 17 States/UTs, which handled more than 2.78 crore cases and realized more than Rs. 384.14 crores in fines up to March 2023. The Phase-III of the eCourts Project (2023-2027) was approved on 13.09.2023 with an outlay of Rs.7,210 crore, which is aimed at ushering a regime of enhanced ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts. It intends to incorporate latest technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make justice delivery progressively more robust, easy and accessible. Under the digital Case Management System, eFiling system (version 3.0) has been rolled out with upgraded features for lawyers to access and upload documents related to the cases from anywhere 24X7. The ePayment system has been launched for hassle-free payment of fee etc. National Service and Tracking of Electronic Processes (NSTEP) has been launched for technology-enabled process for serving and issuance of summons. Till date, 506.05 crores pages of court records have been digitized in the High Courts and District Courts. A judgment search portal has started with features such as search by bench, case type, case number, year, petitioner/respondent name, etc. This facility is being provided free of cost to all. Several eCourts services are available on case status, cause lists, judgements etc. to lawyers/ litigants through SMS push and pull, email, multilingual eCourts services portal, info kiosks, eCourts Mobile App for lawyers/litigants (3.16 crore downloads till date) and JustIS App for judges (21,716 downloads till date). More than 3.65 crore hearings have taken place through Video Conferencing and live streaming is functional in 11 High Courts. The number of eSewa Kendras (facilitation centres) has increased to 1814 across High Courts and District Courts. To bring in greater objectivity, consistency, transparency and speed, Case Information System (CIS) version 4.0 software has been implemented across the district and taluka courts in the country. Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning tools are being used in case management hearing and for transcription of oral judgements in the Supreme Court of India. iv. The Government has been filling up vacancies of Judges in the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts from time to time. From 01.05.2014 to 21.07.2025, 70 Judges have been appointed in the Supreme Court. 1058 new Judges were appointed and 794 Additional Judges were made permanent in 3the High Courts during the same period. The sanctioned strength of Judges of the High Courts has increased from 906 in May, 2014 to 1122 till date. The sanctioned and working strengths of judicial officers in District and Subordinate Courts have increased as under: As on Sanctioned Strength Working Strength 31.12.2013 19,518 15,115 05.08.2025 25,848 21,113 Source: MIS Portal of the Department of Justice However, filling up of vacancies in District and Subordinate judiciary falls within the domain of the State/UT Governments and High Courts concerned. v. In pursuance of a Resolution passed in Chief Justices’ Conference held in April, 2015, Arrears Committees have been set up in all 25 High Courts to clear cases pending for more than five years. Arrears Committees have now been set up under District Courts as well. vi. Under the aegis of the Fourteenth Finance Commission, the Fast Track Courts have been established for dealing with cases of heinous crimes, cases involving senior citizens, women, children, etc. As on 30.06.2025, 865 Fast Track Courts are functional across the country. With a view to fast-track criminal cases involving elected MPs / MLAs, ten (10) Special Courts are functional in nine (9) States/UTs. Further, the Central Government had approved a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) across the country, for the expeditious disposal of pending cases of Rape and POCSO Act. As on 30.06.2025, 725 FTSCs including 392 exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) Courts are functional in 29 States/UTs, which have disposed of more than 3,34,000 cases since their inception. vii. With a view to reduce pendency and unclogging of the courts, the Government has amended various laws like The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2018, The Commercial Courts (Amendment) Act, 2018, The Specific Relief (Amendment) Act, 2018, The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019 and The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2018. viii. Alternate Dispute Resolution methods have been progressively promoted. Accordingly, The Commercial Courts Act, 2015 was amended in August, 2018 making Pre-institution Mediation and Settlement (PIMS) mandatory in case of commercial disputes. In order to further enhance the efficiency of the PIMS mechanism, the Government, through The Mediation Act, 2023, has further amended the Commercial Court Act, 2015. The amendments to The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 have been made in the years 2015, 2019 and 2021 for expediting the speedy resolution of disputes. Under The Commercial Courts Act, 2015, there is a provision for case management hearing, which provides for an efficient, effective and purposeful judicial management of a case so as to achieve a timely and qualitative resolution of a dispute. It assists in early identification of disputed issues of facts 4and law, establishment of procedural calendar for the life of the case and the exploration of possibilities of the resolution of the dispute. Another novel feature introduced for the commercial courts is the system of color banding, which limits the number of adjournments that can be granted in any commercial matter to three and alerts the judges about listing of the cases in accordance with their stage of pendency. ix. Lok Adalat is an important Alternative Disputes Resolution Mechanism available to common people, where the disputes/ cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/ compromised amicably. Under The Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987, an award made by a Lok Adalat is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and no appeal lies against it before any court. National Lok Adalats are organized simultaneously in all Taluks, Districts and High Courts on a pre-fixed date. The details of the cases disposed of in National Lok Adalats during the last four years are as under: Years Pre-litigation Cases Pending Cases Grand Total 2021 72,06,294 55,81,743 1,27,88,037 2022 3,10,15,215 1,09,10,795 4,19,26,010 2023 7,10,32,980 1,43,09,237 8,53,42,217 2024 8,70,19,059 1,75,07,060 10,45,26,119 2025(up to March) 2,58,28,368 50,82,181 3,09,10,549 Total 22,21,01,916 5,33,91,016 27,54,92,932 x. The Government launched the Tele-Law programme in 2017, which provides an effective and reliable e-interface platform connecting the needy and disadvantaged sections seeking legal advice and consultation with panel lawyers via video conferencing, telephone and chat facilities available at the Common Service Centres (CSCs) situated in Gram Panchayats and through Tele-Law mobile App. *Percentage-wise break-up of Tele – Law Data Till 30th June, Cases Registered % wise Break Up Advice Enabled % wise Break Up 2025 Gender -wise Female 44,81,170 39.58% 44,21,450 39.55% Male 68,39,728 60.42% 67,58,085 60.45% Caste Category-wise General 26,89,371 23.76% 26,48,100 23.69% OBC 35,64,430 31.49% 35,16,236 31.45% 5SC 35,27,303 31.16% 34,90,737 31.22% ST 15,39,794 13.60% 15,24,462 13.64% Total 1,13,20,898 1,11,79,535 xi. Efforts have been made to institutionalize pro bono culture and pro bono lawyering in the country. A technological framework has been put in place where advocates volunteering to give their time and services for pro bono work can register as Pro Bono Advocates on Nyaya Bandhu (Android & iOS and Apps). Nyaya Bandhu Services are also available on UMANG Platform. Pro Bono Panel of advocates has been initiated in 23 High Courts at the State/UT level. Pro Bono Clubs have been started in 109 Law Schools to instill Pro Bono culture in budding lawyers. xii. The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of the society including beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the LSA Act, 1987, which aims to ensure that the opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. The details of beneficiaries under various activities/programmes undertaken by Legal Services Authorities during the last three years are as under: Year Persons benefited through Legal aid and advice 2022-23 12,14,769 2023-24 15,50,164 2024-25 16,57,527 Total 44,22,460 The legal awareness programmes are held across the country by Legal Service Authorities in regard to various laws and schemes relating to children, labourers, victims of disaster, SC and ST, persons suffering from disability, etc. The Legal Services Authorities also prepare booklets and pamphlets in simple language on various laws which are distributed amongst the people. The details of legal awareness programs organized by Legal Service Authorities during the last three years are as under: Year Legal Awareness programmes organised Persons attended 2022-23 4,90,055 6,75,17,665 2023-24 4,30,306 4,49,22,092 2024-25 4,62,988 3,72,32,850 Total 13,83,349 14,96,72,607 6(c): The National Judicial Academy regularly conducts academic programmes for judges and legal- aid functionaries, equipping them with the latest legal knowledge, practical skills, and a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the vulnerable groups, so that legal assistance is provided to those who otherwise cannot afford for effective legal representation, thereby significantly advancing the goal of equal access to justice. Capacity-building measures for legal aid personnel working in the Legal Services Institutions focus on strengthening their skills, knowledge and resources to effectively serve marginalized and often underserved communities. The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has developed 4 Training Modules for training of Legal Services Lawyers and for Para-Legal Volunteers (PLVs). The Legal Services Institutions conduct training programmes for the panel lawyers and PLVs from time to time. **** 7Annexure-I State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) (as on 30.06.2025) Functional Courts Sl. No. 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 18 14 10 Himachal Pradesh 6 3 11 J&K 4 2 12 Karnataka 30 17 13 Kerala 55 14 14 Madhya Pradesh 67 56 15 Maharashtra 2 1 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 14 14 25 Telangana 36 0 26 Tripura 3 1 27 Uttarakhand 4 0 28 Uttar Pradesh 218 74 29 West Bengal 8 8 30 Jharkhand * 0 0 31 A&N Islands** 0 0 32 Arunachal Pradesh*** 0 0 TOTAL 725 392 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. 8