Fast-track courts face mounting backlogs amid push for quicker justice

Amid continued protests over paper leaks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that the government would establish fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved. Here is a look at the state of fast-track courts (FTCs) and fast-track special courts (FTSCs) in India, where case backlogs remain high despite significant disposals.

 

As of December 2025, India had 880 FTCs, which disposed of 1.33 million cases during the year. Yet, 1.39 million cases remained pending (as of October 2024). Uttar Pradesh accounted for 72 per cent of the pending caseload, followed by Maharashtra (12 per cent) and West Bengal (5 per cent).

 

FTSCs show a similar trend. In 2023, 757 FTSCs disposed of 76,319 cases, while 202,175 remained pending. By 2025, the number of FTSCs had increased to 774, but annual disposals fell to 66,500 and pending cases rose to 245,579. The Centre allocated about ₹200 crore annually under the FTSC scheme for 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.

 

The FTC scheme was launched in the early 2000s following the recommendations of the 11th Finance Commission. FTSCs were introduced in 2019 to exclusively handle cases involving rape, offences under the POCSO Act, and other specified sexual crimes.