The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday asked 17 states and Union Territories to figure out how many special courts are needed to handle cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and to ensure these trials are conducted daily and completed within one year.

A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said courts across the country are under heavy pressure and highlighted the need for a better system or changes in current practices to reduce this burden.

The Court is dealing with a suo motu case on setting up exclusive courts to clear the backlog of cases under special laws like UAPA and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

It directed state governments to clearly state how many exclusive courts they need for UAPA cases and to give a firm assurance that each trial will be finished within a year. This information has to be submitted within four weeks. The Bench also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

The Court also asked High Courts to make sure these special courts have enough staff. It further directed agencies like the National Investigation Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation to assign at least one dedicated prosecutor to each court.

If there are not enough prosecutors, states and UTs have been told to appoint Special Public Prosecutors in consultation with the High Courts.

The Court has also sought responses from the Registrars General of these 17 states on the issue.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitors General Aishwarya Bhati and SD Sanjay, along with Advocate Generals of the concerned states and UTs, were present.

As a pilot step, all 17 states and UTs agreed to set up at least one exclusive court each to deal with UAPA/NIA cases, based on a commitment made by the central government in January 2026. The Centre will provide financial support for this.

Earlier too, the Court had stressed the need for such dedicated courts. In September 2025, it suggested increasing the number of judges instead of putting extra burden on existing courts. Later, in November, it asked the Centre to create a nationwide system to ensure quicker disposal of such cases.