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Cabinet extends fast-track courts for rape and POCSO trials till 2031, network to grow to 850
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared a five-year extension of the Fast Track Special Courts scheme at a cost of ₹3,788.04 crore, with 71 more courts to be added in districts where cases pile up.
Key points
- The fast-track special courts scheme will now run until 31 March 2031.
- The network will grow from 779 to 850 courts, with new courts in districts with high pendency.
- The five-year plan costs ₹3,788.04 crore, of which the Centre pays ₹2,353.15 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday extended the Fast Track Special Courts scheme for five more years, keeping in place the courts that try rape cases and sexual offences against children until 31 March 2031.
The decision, announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after the Cabinet meeting, also widens the network. The government plans to raise the number of working courts from 779 to 850, with the new ones going to districts where rape and POCSO cases are piling up. The scheme, which includes exclusive POCSO courts, will cost ₹3,788.04 crore over the five years from April 2026.
Vaishnaw said the extension was meant “to ensure faster justice in cases of rape and child sexual abuse”. “The Government is committed to addressing any social challenges or vulnerabilities,” he said.
Who pays, and what each court gets
The Centre will put in ₹2,353.15 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund, while states and Union Territories will share ₹1,434.89 crore under the usual formula for centrally sponsored schemes.
Each court is staffed by a judicial officer, a special public prosecutor and six support personnel. The scheme also pays for vulnerable witness deposition centres and child-friendly court facilities.
Six years of fast-track trials
The scheme was launched on 2 October 2019, after the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and a Supreme Court directive on speeding up such trials. It now runs in 29 states and Union Territories, and its courts have disposed of more than 4.02 lakh cases of rape and offences under the POCSO Act since it began.
The Department of Justice will track how each court performs through an online dashboard, regular reviews and consultations with High Courts and state governments.
The scheme at a glance
- 850 courts plannedUp from 779 working today.
- ₹3,788.04 cr five-year outlay₹2,353.15 crore of it from the Nirbhaya Fund.
- 4.02 lakh cases disposedRape and POCSO cases decided since October 2019.
The same Cabinet meeting also cleared proposals on energy storage, critical minerals and the armed forces.