New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to establish a dedicated National Investigation Agency court in every state and Union territory. In states with a high caseload, such as Kerala with more than 10 cases related to the banned PFI, more than one NIA court will be set up.

Submitting a status report, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said Kerala would have multiple NIA courts due to the volume of cases, particularly those linked to the banned Popular Front of India. She added that the Centre has proposed ₹1 crore towards recurring and non-recurring expenditure for setting up additional NIA courts, along with funds for infrastructure and judicial posts.

The submission was made before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, which was hearing bail pleas in cases involving organised crime and terror charges. The Centre said the move was aimed at ensuring faster trials and avoiding delays caused by overburdened courts.

The Supreme Court was also told that Delhi will have 16 special courts to handle organised crime and terror-related cases. According to the Delhi government, these courts are expected to start functioning within three months.

The bench emphasised that dedicated NIA and special statute courts should conduct day-to-day trials and should not be burdened with other cases. Chief Justice Kant said merely designating existing courts as special courts would strain the judicial system and defeat the purpose of speedy trials.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi suggested that in cases involving multiple FIRs across states, the Centre could consider invoking the NIA Act, allowing the agency to take over investigations to avoid jurisdictional conflicts.

The court noted that hardened criminals often exploit jurisdictional overlaps, particularly in regions like the National Capital Region, to delay trials. It asked the Centre and the Delhi government to explore the feasibility of a stringent anti-organised crime law applicable across the NCR.

The Supreme Court directed both governments to file an action taken report and posted the matter for further hearing in January 2026.