India's most vulnerable victims of sexual violence — women who have survived rape, children scarred by abuse — have long waited in the shadow of an overburdened justice system. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, that the Union Cabinet has approved a sweeping continuation of the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) Scheme for 2026–31, backed by an outlay of ₹3,788.04 crore — a signal that the state intends to close the gap between crime and consequence.

From 779 to 850 courts — and a bigger mandate

The Cabinet's decision expands the network of dedicated courts from 779 to 850, with a specific emphasis on exclusive POCSO Courts — tribunals set up under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, designed to shield child survivors from the trauma of a conventional adversarial trial. The expansion is not merely numerical. Each court comes staffed with dedicated judicial officers, Special Public Prosecutors, and support staff — a full institutional spine rather than a bare docket.

Pradhan framed the approval in direct terms: 'Justice must be timely, accessible and sensitive to the needs of those who have suffered.' That framing, notably, puts the survivor — not the system — at the centre of the mandate.

Over 4 lakh cases disposed — and a backlog that still demands speed

The scheme, first approved by the Union Cabinet in 2019 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has already notched a substantial record: over 4 lakh cases disposed of since its launch. That figure signals operational credibility at scale — an important threshold for any judicial programme that must justify fresh public expenditure. Yet the very need for continuation, and the expansion of court count, tells the other half of the story: pendency in rape and POCSO matters remains a pressing national challenge.

India's criminal justice system has grappled with the surge in registered sexual offence cases since the 2013 amendments that followed widespread public pressure for reform. Fast Track courts were conceived precisely to prevent those cases from ageing into impunity — a fate that re-victimises survivors and erodes deterrence.

What ₹3,788 crore buys — and what it must deliver

The five-year, ₹3,788.04 crore outlay works out to a sustained institutional commitment rather than a one-off surge. The funding covers salaries for judicial officers and prosecutors, infrastructure, and case-management support across participating states. The scheme is centrally sponsored, meaning state governments are co-partners in operationalisation — their pace of setting up courts and filling posts will determine whether the expanded target of 850 courts becomes a working reality or a figure on paper.

What to watch: the Ministry of Law and Justice's annual disposal statistics, and parliamentary updates on how quickly the additional 71 courts are made functional.