Parliament Question: Impact of fast track courts

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 749 ANSWERED ON 05/02/2026 IMPACT OF FAST TRACK COURTS 749. SHRI NEERAJ SHEKHAR: Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has assessed the impact of fast track courts in disposal of criminal cases in the country; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether fast track court system has reduced the pendency of cases in lower judiciary; and (d) if so, the details thereof during the last three years and the current year, year-wise and State-wise? 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 (d): 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, 880 FTCs are functional across 22 State/UTs as on 31.12.2025. No central assistance is being provided for setting up of these Fast Track Courts. 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 courts 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. 1The impact of the FTSC Scheme has been assessed through third-party evaluations conducted during the extensions of the Scheme. The National Productivity Council conducted a third-party evaluation in 2021, which recommended continuation of the Scheme. Subsequently, the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) undertook an evaluation in 2023 and, inter- alia, recommended continuation of the Scheme, considering its positive role in expeditious disposal of cases relating to women and children. A third-party evaluation has been recently conducted by NITI Aayog through M/s KPMG Advisory Services Private Limited, which has also recommended continuation of the FTSC Scheme as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, noting its effectiveness in achieving its core objectives of speedy disposal of cases relating to women and children, reduction of pendency, and alignment with national priorities on justice delivery and women’s safety. Regarding the impact of these Courts in reduction of pendency of cases, as per information received from the High Courts, the FTCs have disposed of 40,26,982 cases during the last 3 years, i.e. 2023, 2024 and 2025. The year-wise and State-wise details are placed at Annexure-I. As per information received from the High Courts, the FTSCs have disposed of 2,28,414 cases during the last 3 years. The year-wise and State-wise details are placed at Annexure-II. **** 2Annexure-I State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Courts (FTCs) as on 31.12.2025 Functional Total Total Total Sl. States/UTs FTCs as on Disposal in Disposal in Disposal No. 31.12.2025 2023 2024 in 2025 1 Andhra Pradesh 21 2385 4601 3257 2 Andaman & Nicobar Island 0 0 0 0 3 Arunachal Pradesh 0 0 0 0 4 Assam 16 8265 7385 6346 5 Bihar 0 0 0 0 6 Chandigarh 0 0 0 0 7 Chhattisgarh 27 3788 4635 5378 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and 0 8 0 0 0 Daman & Diu 9 Delhi 26 1688 3276 4047 10 Goa 4 7722 901 1574 11 Gujarat 54 4787 5625 4278 12 Haryana 6 474 358 353 13 Himachal Pradesh 3 160 212 182 14 Jammu & Kashmir 8 83 106 203 15 Jharkhand 39 2107 2531 2442 16 Karnataka 0 0 0 0 17 Kerala 16 0 0 0 18 Ladakh 0 0 0 0 19 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 0 20 Madhya Pradesh 0 0 0 0 21 Maharashtra 102 164182 133818 293807 22 Manipur 6 155 89 94 23 Meghalaya 0 0 0 0 24 Mizoram 2 320 393 365 25 Nagaland 0 0 0 0 26 Odisha 0 0 0 0 27 Puducherry 1 0 2 874 28 Punjab 7 291 247 151 29 Rajasthan 0 0 0 0 30 Sikkim 2 10 14 7 31 Tamil Nadu 73 25295 34767 27734 32 Telangana 0 0 0 0 33 Tripura 2 242 224 308 34 Uttar Pradesh 373 1200766 953274 954136 35 Uttarakhand 4 386 485 343 36 West Bengal 88 98087 21942 25025 TOTAL 880 1521193 1174885 1330904 Source: As per data provided by the High Courts. 3Annexure-II State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) as on 31.12.2025 Functional Total Sl. Total Disposal Total Disposal States/UTs FTSCs as on Disposal in No. in 2023 in 2024 31.12.2025 2025 1 Andhra Pradesh 16 2368 2138 2701 2 Assam 17 2300 2685 2393 3 Bihar 54 4464 4556 5836 4 Chandigarh 1 128 73 131 5 Chhattisgarh 15 1450 1365 1410 6 Delhi 16 756 833 819 7 Goa 1 23 51 49 8 Gujarat 35 4275 4228 3790 9 Haryana 18 2094 1911 1779 10 Himachal Pradesh 6 299 432 306 11 J&K 4 41 112 102 12 Jharkhand* 0 2189 2313 979 13 Karnataka 30 3713 3553 3260 14 Kerala 55 7044 6324 4998 15 Madhya Pradesh 67 8130 6152 5374 16 Maharashtra 37 6811 3716 1009 17 Manipur 2 48 45 47 18 Meghalaya 5 135 265 164 19 Mizoram 3 60 73 62 20 Nagaland 1 6 11 12 21 Odisha 44 5153 5747 5066 22 Puducherry 1 44 78 72 23 Punjab 12 1502 1127 1277 24 Rajasthan 45 4213 4288 4415 25 Tamil Nadu 20 1861 2670 2211 26 Telangana 36 1720 2499 2567 27 Tripura 3 163 89 109 28 Uttarakhand 4 383 437 290 29 Uttar Pradesh 218 14898 27640 14848 30 West Bengal 8 48 184 424 TOTAL 774 76319 85595 66500 * The State of Jharkhand has decided to exit the FTSC Scheme vide letter dated 07.07.2025. Source: As per data provided by the High Courts. 4