Cases related to paper leaks will now be tried in fast track courts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself announced this on Thursday. He said that the decision to establish fast track courts has been taken to ensure swift and severe punishment for those involved in paper leak cases. He stated that instructions have been issued in this regard.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi stated that the welfare and future of the country’s youth is the government’s priority. He made it clear that those who jeopardize the future of the youth will face the strictest possible action and will not be spared at any cost.
The purpose of establishing fast track courts was to try heinous crimes like murder, kidnapping, and rape, but now, cases related to paper leaks will also be tried in such courts.
Prime Minister Modi said that fast track courts will be established to ensure swift and severe punishment for the perpetrators in all paper leak cases and to ensure speedy disposal of cases.
According to the central government, despite strong laws, numerous rape and POCSO Act cases remain pending in various courts across the country. The purpose of stringent punishments is to instill fear in people, but this can only be achieved if trials are completed on time and victims receive speedy justice.
The 11th Finance Commission first recommended the establishment of fast-track courts. The first fast-track court was established in 2000.
The 14th Finance Commission subsequently recommended the establishment of 1,800 fast-track courts (FTCs) across the country during 2015-2020. Their purpose was to expedite the hearing of cases involving serious crimes, women, children, the elderly, the disabled, and property pending for more than five years. The Finance Commission requested state governments to utilize additional tax funds for this purpose.
In 2019, the Supreme Court directed the speedy disposal of POCSO cases. Following this, the central government initiated a scheme to establish Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), under which special courts were established across the country for the speedy disposal of rape and POCSO cases.
Under this scheme, the central government assists states in establishing FTSCs for the trial of such cases. Under the scheme, the central government provides 60% of the funding for establishing FTSCs, while the states contribute the remaining 40%.
The central government provided some data in Parliament regarding how many FTCs and FTSCs exist across the country. On March 27, 2026, the Law Ministry informed the Lok Sabha that as of January 31, 2026, there were 862 fast track courts in 21 states and union territories. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of FTCs, with 373. Maharashtra is second, with 105 such courts.
Typically, trials in regular courts take years to conclude and convictions to be awarded. However, the purpose of establishing the FTC and FTSC was to ensure speedy trials and punishment for the guilty. When a case is filed in these courts, a verdict is delivered within 6 months to 1 year.
On February 5, 2026, the Law Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha that in the three years 2023, 2024, and 2025, 40.26 lakh cases were disposed of in the FTC. Over 2.28 lakh cases were disposed of in the FTSC during these three years.
These courts dispose of cases very quickly. According to the central government, in 2024, the FTSC, established for rape and POCSO cases, had a disposal rate of over 96%. According to the government, in 2024 alone, 88,902 new cases were filed in the FTSC, of which 85,595 were disposed of. This means that 96% of the cases filed in the FTSC annually are completed within the trial period.
According to the central government, the average disposal rate of rape and POCSO cases in the FTSC is three times higher than that of regular courts. While a regular court disposes of only 3.3 cases per month, each FTSC disposes of 9.51 cases per month.
However, despite this, sometimes some cases take a long time to be resolved. The central government has acknowledged in Parliament that there are several reasons for delays in case resolution. These include lack of physical infrastructure, complex cases, inefficient police investigations, delayed forensic reports, and lack of cooperation from stakeholders.
The government expects each FTSC to dispose of 41 to 42 cases per quarter and at least 165 cases annually.