Supreme Court orders establishment of special courts for expeditious trial in NIA cases

PTI, May 8, 2026, New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday directed that at least one special court be established to deal with 10 to 15 pending trials in cases probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Passing a slew of directions to expedite trials in cases where the Centre, through the NIA, is the prosecutor, the apex court said the special courts should be set up within a month.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the Centre to approach the Chief Justice of the jurisdictional High Courts and hold consultations for establishing exclusive courts under Section 11 of the NIA Act, 2008. Section 11 of the Act deals with the power of the central government to constitute special courts.

"We request the Chief Justice of the High Courts to consult the State governments to provide requisite and sufficient space for the establishment of special courts where the presiding officers will be entrusted with the trial of cases," the bench said.

The apex court was hearing a suo motu case titled 'In Re: creation of special exclusive courts'.

The bench directed that no other cases shall be entrusted to the special courts and that trials would be conducted on a day-to-day basis.

The bench said the special court judges would be at liberty to list the matters in the manner they want, while ensuring that at least one trial is concluded within a month.

"It is made clear that there shall be at least one special court for 10 to 15 pending trials," the bench directed.

It said two special courts would be set up if the number of pending trials exceeded 15.

The bench asked the states to comply with its earlier order in which it had said that it would be necessary for them to provide the requisite courtrooms and other immovable infrastructure for the establishment of exclusive special courts.