The Union Cabinet approved a five-year continuation of the Fast Track Special Courts scheme for rape and POCSO cases with an outlay of ₹3,788.04 crore, raising the number of courts from 779 to 850.

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• The Union Cabinet on November 4 approved continuing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Fast Track Special Courts, including exclusive POCSO courts, from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2031.
• The scheme carries a total financial outlay of ₹3,788.04 crore over the five-year period.
• The network will expand from 779 functional courts to 850, with additional districts chosen on the basis of pending rape and POCSO cases.
• The existing 779 courts include 399 exclusive POCSO courts.
• The scheme was launched on October 2, 2019, following the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and a July 25, 2019 Supreme Court direction in a suo motu case.
• The Supreme Court had directed exclusive special courts in districts with more than 100 pending cases under the POCSO Act, 2012.
• The scheme is operational in 29 states and Union Territories and has been extended several times to keep the dedicated courts running.
• Since inception, the special courts have disposed of more than 4.02 lakh cases involving rape and offences under the POCSO Act.
• Each court has eight members: one judicial officer, one special public prosecutor and six support staff.
• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision at the Cabinet briefing, saying the government is committed to acting firmly on atrocities against women and children.

Tags: FastTrackSpecialCourts, POCSOAct, UnionCabinet