The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, approved the continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO courts, for another five years until 31 March 2031. The extended scheme carries a total financial outlay of ₹3,788.04 crore and will increase the number of functional FTSCs from 779 to 850, aiming to deliver speedier justice to victims of rape and child sexual offences across India.

Key Details of the Extended Scheme

The total outlay of ₹3,788.04 crore is split between a central share of ₹2,353.15 crore and a State and Union Territory share of ₹1,434.89 crore. The central component will be funded through the Nirbhaya Fund, the dedicated corpus established to finance initiatives for the safety and security of women.

Each new and existing court will be staffed with a dedicated judicial officer, a Special Public Prosecutor, and six support staff to facilitate the expeditious disposal of pending cases. Additional districts will be identified for new courts on the basis of the pendency of rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 cases.

Victim Support Measures

Beyond courtroom expansion, the scheme envisages the establishment of Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres (VWDCs) and child-friendly court spaces. These facilities are designed to allow victims — particularly children — to record their testimonies without being subjected to the adversarial environment of a conventional courtroom, reducing secondary trauma in the process.

Notably, this victim-centric design element reflects a broader judicial shift toward trauma-informed infrastructure, recognising that how evidence is gathered can be as consequential as the trial itself.

Scale and Track Record So Far

Launched on 2 October 2019 following the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and directions issued by the Supreme Court in July 2019, the scheme was originally directed at districts with more than 100 pending POCSO cases. It started as a one-year pilot before being extended to 31 March 2026.

As of now, the scheme is operational in 29 States and Union Territories, with 779 functional courts — of which 399 are exclusive POCSO courts. Since inception, these courts have disposed of 4,02,457 cases, according to official government data.

Implementation and Oversight

The Department of Justice under the Centre will implement the scheme in coordination with State governments and Union Territory administrations. Oversight will be maintained through the FTSC Dashboard, periodic progress reports, and regular consultations with High Courts and State governments — a monitoring architecture aimed at preventing underutilisation of allocated courts.

This comes amid persistent concerns from legal advocacy groups about the gap between sanctioned courts and those actually functional on the ground, a challenge the dashboard-based monitoring is intended to address.

What Happens Next

With the Cabinet's approval, the government will now proceed to identify additional districts for the 71 new courts to be added, working with State governments to map current pendency data. The scheme's continuation until 2031 provides a stable long-term framework for judicial planning at the district level, potentially influencing how States allocate their own judicial infrastructure budgets.