- Why in news
- On 4 November 2026 the Union Cabinet approved continuing the Fast Track Special Courts scheme for rape and POCSO cases for five years, FY 2026-27 to 2030-31, with an outlay of Rs 3,788.04 crore.
- What it is
- The Fast Track Special Courts Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme run by the Department of Justice. It funds dedicated courts, including exclusive POCSO courts, to try pending rape and POCSO Act cases quickly. It began on 2 October 2019 after the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and a Supreme Court direction.
- Expansion
- Courts rise from 779 to 850, with additional districts chosen on the basis of case pendency data.
- Staffing per court
- Each court gets one Judicial Officer, one exclusive Special Public Prosecutor and six support staff.
- Monitoring
- The Department of Justice monitors through the FTSC Dashboard, progress reports and expenditure statements, and consults High Courts and States.
- Launch and purpose
- Launched October 2019 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for quick trial of rape and POCSO Act cases.
- Functional courts
- 775 FTSCs, including 398 exclusive POCSO courts, worked in 29 States/UTs on 30.04.2026.
- Funding
- Funds follow the Centrally Sponsored pattern (60:40, 90:10) and cover one Judicial Officer and 7 support staff per FTSC plus a flexi grant. Reimbursed after expenditure statements.
- Recruitment of judicial officers
- State Government frames recruitment rules in consultation with the High Court, under Article 309 proviso read with Articles 233 and 234.
Don’t confuse with Fast Track Special Courts vs Fast Track Courts: FTSCs are a Centrally Sponsored Scheme from 2019 only for rape and POCSO cases, unlike general fast track courts funded earlier under Finance Commission grants.
Don’t confuse with Nirbhaya Fund vs Nirbhaya Act: The Nirbhaya Fund is a corpus for women's safety projects; the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 is the law after the 2012 case.
Don’t confuse with FTSC vs e-POCSO courts: FTSCs try rape and POCSO cases; e-POCSO courts are a subset that try only POCSO Act cases.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Dedicated courts speed up trials and reduce pendency in crimes against women and children.
- Child-friendly spaces reduce secondary trauma for victims and support access to justice.
- Speeds up trial in sexual offence cases against children and women.
Problems
- Judicial vacancies, weak forensic labs and delays in investigation limit the effect of fast track courts.
- Funding depends on State participation and timely release of funds, and State capacity varies.
- Pending cases rose to 2,45,579 by end-2025 as registrations exceeded disposals.
- Judicial vacancies and infrastructure are State and High Court responsibilities, and Jharkhand exited the scheme.
Way forward
- Fill judicial and prosecutor posts, and strengthen forensic and investigation capacity.
- Use the dashboard to track disposal and pendency, and set up child-friendly deposition centres in every court.
- Fill judicial vacancies and enforce timelines under the POCSO Act and BNSS through regular reviews.
Put in your answer
POCSO Act, 2012: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 is the law under which these cases are tried in special courts.
Funds released: ₹1259.51 crore was released to States/UTs since inception.
- 2013Mains GS2 · Q12Critically evaluate restructuring of centrally sponsored schemes for vulnerable sections' flexibility.
- 2014Mains GS4 · Q8Suggest innovative measures to tackle rising sexual violence against women despite existing laws.
- 2023Mains GS2 · Q12Explain constitutional perspectives of gender justice with provisions and case laws.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Single answer
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements about the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for rape and POCSO cases, as continued by the Union Cabinet in November 2026: 1. The Central share of the scheme is funded from the Nirbhaya Fund. 2. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. 3. The scheme provides for expanding the number of FTSCs from 779 to 850. 4. The Supreme Court had directed exclusive Special Courts in districts having more than 1,000 pending POCSO cases. How many of the statements given above are correct?
How many of the statements given above are correct?
True or false?
1 of 13
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The Central share of the Fast Track Special Courts scheme is funded from the Nirbhaya Fund.
True. The Central Share comes from the Nirbhaya Fund.
2.The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in coordination with States.
False. The Department of Justice implements it with State Governments and UT Administrations.
3.The approved extension provides for expanding the number of Fast Track Special Courts from 779 to 850.
True. Courts rise from 779 to 850.
4.Under the scheme each court has a dedicated Special Public Prosecutor and a total of two support staff.
False. Each court has one Judicial Officer and six support staff.
5.The scheme was launched in pursuance of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and a Supreme Court direction in a suo motu case.
True. Launched 2 October 2019 after the 2018 Act and the SC direction of 25.07.2019.
6.The scheme encourages Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres and child-friendly court spaces.
True. VWDCs and child-friendly spaces are encouraged for victim testimony.
7.The Fast Track Special Courts Scheme was launched in October 2019 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
True. Launched October 2019 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
8.The Scheme covers only cases under the POCSO Act and not rape cases generally.
False. It covers both rape cases and offences under the POCSO Act.
9.Funds under the Scheme cover the salary of one Judicial Officer and seven support staff per court, plus a flexi grant.
True. One Judicial Officer, 7 support staff and a flexi grant per FTSC.
10.The Centre pays the States in advance, before they submit any expenditure statements.
False. Funds are reimbursed after expenditure statements are received.
11.The Scheme was temporarily extended up to 30 September 2026.
True. Temporary extension to 30 September 2026.
12.Of the 775 functional FTSCs on 30.04.2026, 398 were exclusive POCSO courts.
True. 398 exclusive POCSO courts.
13.Recruitment rules for judicial officers in subordinate courts are framed by the Union Government in consultation with the Supreme Court.
False. The State/UT Government frames them in consultation with the High Court.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Mains practice
15 marks · 250 words
The Union Cabinet has approved continuing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Fast Track Special Courts for rape and POCSO cases for five years (2026-27 to 2030-31), with an outlay of Rs 3,788.04 crore and expansion from 779 to 850 courts. Examine the provisions of the scheme and discuss the challenges in its implementation in delivering speedy and child-friendly justice.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.