FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS (FTSCs) scheme extension and performance update
FTSC scheme extension (including exclusive ePOCSO courts) and implementation status update as of 30 April 2026
- The centrally sponsored FTSCs scheme includes exclusive ePOCSO courts and targets expeditious trial and disposal of pending rape and POCSO Act, 2012 offences.
- High Courts reported 775 FTSCs functional in 29 States/UTs, including 398 exclusive ePOCSO courts, as of 30.04.2026.
- The scheme releases Central and State shares on a Centrally Sponsored Scheme pattern (generally 60:40; 90:10 as applicable) to cover salaries of one judicial officer with seven support staff and a flexi grant for day-to-day expenses.
- Recruitment and filling vacancies of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts, including FTSCs, is the responsibility of States/UTs and the concerned High Courts under the constitutional framework.
What happened: FTSC scheme extension and implementation update (as of 30.04.2026)
The Union Ministry of Law and Justice reported an extension and performance update for the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive electronic POCSO (ePOCSO) courts, to expedite trials of rape and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The scheme was launched in October 2019 and had been extended twice, with the last extension valid up to 31.03.2026 and a temporary extension up to 30 September 2026. High Courts reported that 775 FTSCs (including 398 exclusive ePOCSO courts) were functional in 29 States/UTs as of 30.04.2026.
Background and earlier position: why FTSCs and ePOCSO courts were created
UPS CSE can frame the update as an implementation-and-governance question: how a centrally sponsored, centrally-funded-with-state-share judicial-delivery programme scales court capacity (FTSCs and exclusive ePOCSO courts), tracks pending cases, and manages federal responsibilities under constitutional and statutory timelines. The scheme also provides a policy-relevant dataset of registrations, disposals and pendings across 2023–2025 for analysis of workflow effectiveness and bottlenecks.
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