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.
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.
Annexure-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)
| Sl. No. | State/UT | Functional Courts | Cumulative Disposal since the inception of the Scheme | ||||
| FTSCs including ePOCSO | ePOCSO | FTSCs | ePOCSO | Total | |||
| 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. |
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This information was given by the 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 in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
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Samrat / Allen
