New Delhi, India – December 16, 2025 : The government of india informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it will establish dedicated NIA courts in every state and Union Territory to ensure speedy disposal of terrorism-related cases under the NIA Act. Where pending cases exceed 10, additional courts will be set up, with a proposed budget of around ₹1 crore per court for infrastructure, judges, and staff.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi welcomed the move, emphasizing that existing courts overburdened with routine cases delay complex terror trials involving hundreds of witnesses and pan-India implications. The court stressed these exclusive courts must conduct day-to-day hearings solely for NIA and special statute cases, without mixing ordinary matters like undertrials or family disputes.
The Delhi government announced plans for 16 special courts in the capital to handle organised crime and terror cases, expected to operationalize within three months.
Highlighting jurisdictional hurdles in the National Capital Region (NCR), the bench urged consideration of a stringent anti-organised crime law similar to Maharashtra’s MCOCA across the entire NCR to prevent criminals from exploiting state boundaries. Justice Bagchi suggested invoking NIA powers to consolidate multi-state investigations involving hardcore offenders.
The court directed the Centre and Delhi government to submit action reports, scheduling the next hearing for January 2026. This follows prior directives against designating existing courts as special ones, prioritizing new infrastructure for timely justice.
The initiative aims to uphold speedy trial rights while addressing delays benefiting notorious criminals.
