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Cabinet extends Fast Track Special Courts scheme till 2031

By CAShorts DeskPublished Source: PIB (Union Cabinet decision, 4 November 2026)

Cabinet extends Fast Track Special Courts scheme till 2031
Illustration (AI-generated)

The Union Cabinet on 4 November 2026 approved continuing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for five years, from April 2026 to March 2031. The outlay is Rs 3,788.04 crore. The courts may number up to 850.

Syllabus: Prelims · Polity & Governance; GS2 · Executive & Judiciary; GS2 · Government Policies

Why this matters for UPSC

GS2 justice delivery and vulnerable sections: the Fast Track Special Courts scheme for rape and POCSO cases. Prelims can ask its funding and the Department of Justice; Mains, speedy trials for women and children.

Why it matters

A child who has been sexually abused can wait years to give evidence, and every adjournment means reliving the ordeal and facing pressure to turn hostile. A court that hears only such cases, with a prosecutor of its own, can call witnesses sooner and close trials faster. Five years of assured money lets States keep judges and staff in place instead of waiting on the next extension. Sending new courts to districts with heavy backlogs puts the help where waiting is longest. The larger issue is access to justice: slow trials hurt women and children most, because they have the least power to push a case forward.

Prelims pointers

  • Exclusive POCSO Courts are a subset of FTSCs that hear only POCSO Act cases; other FTSCs hear rape cases as well as POCSO Act cases.
  • The FTSC scheme is run by the Department of Justice, not by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
  • The Supreme Court in 2019 directed exclusive special courts in districts having more than 100 pending POCSO Act cases.
  • The scheme's primary beneficiaries are women and children who are victims of rape and of offences under the POCSO Act, 2012.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) scheme, consider the following statements:

1. It is a Central Sector Scheme whose entire cost is borne by the Union Government.

2. The Centre's share of its cost is met from the Nirbhaya Fund.

3. It is implemented by the Department of Justice with the States and Union Territories.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 2 and 3 only
  3. (c) 1 and 3 only
  4. (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only. The scheme is centrally sponsored and run by the Department of Justice.

Statement 1: incorrect. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme: of Rs 3,788.04 crore for 2026-31, States and UTs pay Rs 1,434.89 crore.

Statement 2: correct. The Centre's share of Rs 2,353.15 crore is funded from the Nirbhaya Fund.

Statement 3: correct. The Department of Justice implements it with State Governments and UT administrations.

Eliminate: statement 1 is wrong because States share the cost. Out: (a), (c), (d).

Trap: Look-alike names. A Central Sector Scheme and a Centrally Sponsored Scheme sound alike, but only the second splits the cost with States.

Remember: FTSC scheme = Centrally Sponsored; Centre's share from the Nirbhaya Fund.

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