New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked 17 states, including Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra, to endeavour that dedicated NIA courts complete trials in UAPA cases in one year.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the states may set up dedicated NIA courts where there are more than 10 cases and ensure the deployment of dedicated presiding officers in consultation with the high court chief justice.
“The states should endeavour that the dedicated NIA courts complete the trial in one year. There may be a case where one matter may take more than one month to conclude but we are expecting that, on average, one NIA case is concluded in a month. For this, you need to have a day-to-day hearing and appoint a dedicated special public prosecutor,” the top court observed.
It noted that the Centre, through an office memorandum, has committed to a one-time grant of Rs 1 crore for non-recurring expenditure and Rs 1 crore per annum for recurring expenditure for each exclusive NIA court.
“It should not be a case of matching grants like the usual formula where the Centre contributes 60 per cent of the fund and the rest 40 per cent is given by the states. Many a time, it is not feasible as some states are revenue-deficient and some have other priorities.
“As a result, the 60 per cent grant of the Centre meant for creating judicial infrastructure is also not utilised or, thanks to bureaucrats, it is misutilised. The judiciary is facing hardship in many states due to a lack of infrastructure,” CJI Kant told Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati.
The bench took on record that advocate generals of 17 states were physically or virtually present for the hearing and asked them to ensure that the dedicated NIA courts start functioning as early as possible.
“The states may also endeavour to set up more dedicated courts like for NDPS cases, MCOCA and other special statutes as it will help in early disposal of cases involving heinous offences,” the bench observed.
Additional Solicitor General SD Sanjay, appearing for the Delhi government, informed the bench that besides dedicated NIA courts, 15 special courts including NDPS, MCOCA and others will start functioning soon on the second floor of the Rouse Avenue court complex here.
Advocate Generals for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states informed the bench that they have more than 10 NIA cases.
The bench asked them to hold consultations with their respective chief justices and clear the modalities for setting up more than one NIA court and ensure that the presiding officers are not burdened with other cases.
The top court also issued notice to all the high courts to work out certain modalities in setting up dedicated NIA courts as it said that a special mechanism will be created for consideration of the annual confidential reports of presiding officers manning these specialised courts and would not be considered traditionally.
On February 10, the top court issued notices to 17 states, including Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra, to ensure the setting up of special NIA courts in states where 10 or more cases are pending trial under anti-terror laws.
It had sought responses from the states after the Union home ministry submitted a comprehensive status report, saying it has mooted a proposal to set up special courts in states where 10 or more cases probed by the NIA are pending trial.
The bench had also taken into account the submissions of Bhati that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has finalised norms to provide financial assistance for these special courts.
The Delhi government also informed the bench that the dedicated courts are expected to be ready for operation by April 2026. It said the Delhi High Court has confirmed that judicial officers from the Delhi Higher Judicial Service are available to preside over these courts.
On December 16, 2025, the Centre told the top court that to ensure a speedy trial, it has decided to set up a dedicated NIA court in each state and Union Territory and more than one court at places where there are over 10 cases under anti-terror laws. PTI MNL SJK MNL KSS KSS
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.