Parliament Question: Scheme of Fast Track Special Courts

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3231 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 08TH AUGUST, 2025 SCHEME OF FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS

3231. SHRI KRIPANATH MALLAH:

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

(a) the number of Fast Track Special Courts established since the Scheme’s inception, and their impact on the disposal rates of rape and POCSO cases compared to regular courts; and

(b) the funding mechanisms that support the establishment and operation of these courts, and the manner in which the Nirbhaya Fund has been utilised in this context? 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 came to be introduced 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) along with the number of cases disposed since the inception of the Scheme are at Annexure-I.

As per the inputs received from the High Courts, the disposal rate of Rape and POCSO Act cases in Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) appears to be significantly higher than in regular courts. While the average disposal rate of Rape and POCSO Act cases in regular courts is estimated at 3.26 cases per court per month, FTSCs achieve an average of 9.51 cases per court per month. This suggests an enhanced efficiency in case disposal through FTSCs.

1(b): Following the Nirbhaya case of 16th December, 2012, the Government has set up a dedicated fund – Nirbhaya Fund – which can be utilized for projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of women. It is a non-lapsable corpus fund, being administered by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (M/o WCD) is the nodal Ministry to appraise/recommend proposals and Schemes to be funded under Nirbhaya Fund. M/o WCD further has the responsibility to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned schemes in conjunction with the Line Ministries/Departments.

The FTSCs have been set up and operationalized under the Nirbhaya Fund. The Department has released a sum of ₹ 1034.55 Crore to the States/UTs since its inception to ensure the smooth functioning of the courts. The funds are released on CSS Pattern (Central share: State share :: 60:40, 90:10) to cover the salaries of one Judicial Officer along with 7 support Staff and a Flexi Grant for meeting the day-to-day expenses. The funds are released to the States/UTs on a reimbursement basis, determined by the number of functional Courts in the State/UT concerned. The State/UT-wise details of Central Share of funds released, since the inception of the Scheme are at Annexure-II.

***** 2Annexure-I State/UT-wise details of functional Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) Courts along with the cumulative disposal since the inception of the Scheme (as on 30.06.2025) Cumulative Disposal since the inception of the Functional Courts Scheme Sl.

State/UT FTSCs No. including ePOCSO FTSCs ePOCSO Total ePOCSO 1 Andhra Pradesh 16 16 0 7487 7487 2 Assam 17 17 0 8943 8943 3 Bihar 46 46 0 17232 17232 4 Chandigarh 1 0 374 0 374 5 Chhattisgarh 15 11 1289 5139 6428 6 Delhi 16 11 760 1958 2718 7 Goa 1 0 82 34 116 8 Gujarat 35 24 3389 13227 16616 9 Haryana 18 14 2018 6069 8087 10 Himachal Pradesh 6 3 600 807 1407 11 J&K 4 2 144 167 311 12 Karnataka 30 17 5377 8654 14031 13 Kerala 55 14 18256 7946 26202 14 Madhya Pradesh 67 56 4920 27193 32113 15 Maharashtra 2 1 8727 12017 20744 16 Manipur 2 0 194 0 194 17 Meghalaya 5 5 0 733 733 18 Mizoram 3 1 199 70 269 19 Nagaland 1 0 65 3 68 20 Odisha 44 23 7218 13036 20254 21 Puducherry 1 1 0 162 162 22 Punjab 12 3 2785 2480 5265 23 Rajasthan 45 30 5830 13602 19432 24 Tamil Nadu 14 14 0 10199 10199 25 Telangana 36 0 8648 2731 11379 26 Tripura 3 1 252 237 489 27 Uttarakhand 4 0 1930 0 1930 28 Uttar Pradesh 218 74 43558 47901 91459 29 West Bengal 8 8 0 457 457 30 Jharkhand * 0 0 2777 6337 9114 31 A&N Islands** 0 0 0 0 0 32 Arunachal Pradesh*** 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 725 392 119392 214821 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.

3Annexure -II State/UT-wise details of central share of funds released since the inception of the Scheme till 31.07.2025 Central Share of Funds Sl.

States/ UTs Released No. (Rs. in crore)

1. Andhra Pradesh 1.80

2. Assam 31.34

3. Bihar 70.67

4. Chandigarh 0.19

5. Chhattisgarh 21.90

6. Delhi 13.27

7. Goa 1.41

8. Gujarat 41.24

9. Haryana 26.39

10. Himachal Pradesh 9.08

11. Jammu and Kashmir 8.58

12. Jharkhand* 20.49

13. Karnataka 36.11

14. Kerala 54.78

15. Madhya Pradesh 105.97

16. Maharashtra 47.60

17. Manipur 3.86

18. Meghalaya 7.14

19. Mizoram 7.32

20. Nagaland 1.76

21. Odisha 54.93

22. Puducherry 0.56

23. Punjab 16.90

24. Rajasthan 95.25

25. Tamil Nadu 28.92

26. Telangana 29.14

27. Tripura 5.28

28. Uttar Pradesh 281.40

29. Uttarakhand 9.10

30. West Bengal 1.82

31. A&N Islands** -

32. Arunachal Pradesh*** - Total Amount released to States/ UTs 1034.19 Third Party Evaluation Cost 0.37 GRAND TOTAL 1034.56 * The State of Jharkhand has decided to exit the FTSC Scheme vide letter dated 07.07.2025.

**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.

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