New Delhi: The Central government is a party in nearly seven lakh cases pending across courts, with the Finance Ministry alone being one of the litigants in nearly two lakh cases, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

Citing data available on Legal Information Management & Briefing System (LIMBS), Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “There are about seven lakh cases pending where the Government of India is a party. Out of these, in about 1.9 lakh cases the Ministry of Finance is mentioned as a party”.

In his written reply, he also said that following the enactment of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, and the order of the Supreme Court, the Central government introduced a scheme for setting up of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs).

These include combined FTSCs, which handle both rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, and exclusive POCSO courts, dedicated solely to cases under the POCSO Act.

Citing details shared by the various high courts, the minister said as on December 31, 2024, a total of 747 FTSCs, including 406 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) courts, are functional across 30 states and UTs.