What happened in the Rajya Sabha
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that fast-track courts in India had a combined pendency of 17,54,675 cases.
The Union government also stated that 884 fast-track courts were functioning across 21 states and Union territories.
Congress leader Mukul Wasnik described the numbers on pendency as “eye-opening” and argued that fast-track courts cannot solve exam-linked issues such as paper leaks and other examination-related irregularities.
The government reply linked performance of fast-track special courts to conviction rates (share of cases ending in convictions) and cited variation across states for three consecutive years 2023–2025.
The government cited the following conviction rates for fast-track special courts: Andhra Pradesh: 3.97% (2023), 5.19% (2024), 5.55% (2025)Jammu & Kashmir: 6% (2023), 4.5% (2024), 4.44% (2025)West Bengal: 1% (2023), 2% (2024), rising to 11% (2025)Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram: strongest conviction rates during 2023–2025 (no exact percentages were provided in the reply)Tamil Nadu: conviction rate maintained above 25% each year (exact values were not provided in the reply)
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