775 Fast Track Special Courts functional in 29 States/UTs; FTSC scheme extended till Sept 2026
Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive e-POCSO courts, were reported functional in 29 States/UTs, and the FTSC scheme was temporarily extended to 30 September 2026.
- Fast Track Special Courts are meant to speed up trial and disposal of selected cases, especially POCSO-related rape offences.
- Exclusive ePOCSO courts are specialised FTSCs focused on POCSO cases using an e-POCSO process for case handling and timelines.
- The POCSO Act requires time-bound steps in investigation and trial; FTSC functioning reviews push for strict timeline compliance.
- The Centre and States share FTSC costs in a 60:40 ratio (with 90:10 where applicable), including pay for one judge and seven support staff per FTSC.
What happened: FTSCs for POCSO cases expanded and scheme extended
The Ministry of Law and Justice stated that Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) courts, are functional across most of India and that the FTSC scheme has been extended again. The government reported the latest functional status (as on 30 April 2026) and extended the scheme temporarily to support continued trial and disposal of pending POCSO-related cases.
Latest functional status of FTSCs
UPSC can link FTSC capacity (number of functional courts) with the justice-delivery problem in POCSO cases, and analyse how centre–state–high court responsibilities affect time-bound outcomes under POCSO and related procedural law.
Related dispatches
