Overview
- A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh urged a pan-India network of exclusive courts to finish special-statute trials within six months.
- The court suggested restricting bail for the first six months in prima facie serious national-security cases if the trial is completed in that period, with rare exceptions.
- Procedural reforms recommended include pruning lengthy witness lists, enabling online depositions for distant witnesses and ensuring robust witness protection.
- Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said a Home Secretary–led meeting has taken decisions in principle and proposed budget enhancements of ₹1 crore recurring and ₹1 crore institutional.
- The bench cautioned against clogging designated courts with other matters, noted Delhi’s two NIA courts have 50 pending cases, and re-listed the matter for mid-December with an expectation of formal notifications.