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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1545
ANSWERED ON 12/02/2026
PENDENCY OF CASES UNDER POCSO ACT
1545. SHRI S NIRANJAN REDDY:
Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that more than two lakh cases under the POCSO Act remain pending
in courts across the country;
(b) the number of Fast Track Special Courts currently operational to deal with such cases;
(c) the average time taken for disposal; and
(d) the steps taken to improve judge strength, forensic support and child-friendly
infrastructure?
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) and (b): As per the information made available by the High Courts, as of 31.12.2025,
774 FTSCs, including 398 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts were functional in 29
States/UTs, with pendency of 2,45,579 cases, of which 2,24,572 cases pertain to offences
under the POCSO Act.
(c): As per the inputs received from the High Courts, the State/UT-wise details of the
average trial time taken in FTSCs including exclusive POCSO courts during 2024, are given
at Annexure.
(d): As regards the recruitment of judges/prosecutors and staff in courts, filling up of
vacant positions of the judicial officers in District and Subordinate courts including the
FTSCs, is the responsibility of the State/UT 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 State/UT Government in
1consultation with the respective High Court frames the rules regarding the recruitment and
appointment of Judicial Officers.
With regard to forensic support, the Government of India has approved establishment
of many new Central Forensic Science Laborateries.
As regards child-friendly infrastructure, Fast Track Special Courts have been
encouraging the use of Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres within existing court
complexes to facilitate victims and to promote a child-friendly judicial environment. Further,
with a view to conduct periodic training programmes for manning and managing the VWDCs
and sensitizing all stakeholders, the Supreme Court constituted a committee chaired by former
Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. As per the report submitted by the
Committee, most of the High Courts have since adopted the Vulnerable Witness Deposition
Centres (VWDC) Scheme, with training programmes conducted covering over 10,000
participants.
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2Annexure
State/UT-wise details of the average trial time taken in FTSCs including exclusive
POCSO (ePOCSO) courts during 2024
Sl. Average Time taken for the Trial in
State/UT
No. FTSCs (in days)
1 Andhra Pradesh 257
2 Assam 940
3 Bihar 941
4 Chandigarh 592.5
5 Chhattisgarh 332.5
6 Delhi 1639.5
7 Goa 547.5
8 Gujarat 1292.5
9 Haryana 575
10 Himachal Pradesh 434.5
11 Jammu & Kashmir 912.5
12 Jharkhand* 640.5
13 Karnataka 817
14 Kerala 796.5
15 Madhya Pradesh 380
16 Maharashtra 575
17 Manipur 1350
18 Meghalaya 910
19 Mizoram 1155
20 Nagaland 1185
21 Odisha 499.5
22 Puducherry 180
23 Punjab 590
24 Rajasthan 880
25 Tamil Nadu 466
26 Telangana 434.5
27 Tripura 1484
28 Uttarakhand 512.5
29 Uttar Pradesh 861.34
30 West Bengal 910
* The State of Jharkhand exited the Scheme vide its letter dated 07.07.2025.
Source: As per data provided by the High Courts
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