New Delhi, July 26: The government has allocated Rs 2,010 crore to boost judicial infrastructure and digitisation of courts, including necessary training and capacity building programmes.

According to Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for the District and Subordinate Courts, a sum of Rs 810 crore has been allocated in the Union Budget 2026 for judicial infrastructure.

In addition, sum of Rs 1,200 crore has been allocated in the Budget for the eCourts Project Phase-III being implemented for digitisation of courts including necessary training and capacity building programmes, he said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Adequate budgetary provisions are made under these Schemes based on approved outlays and availability of funds.

“However, the expeditious disposal of cases depends on multiple factors including complexity of case, quality of investigation, availability of relevant evidence and presentation thereof by the Advocates, timely delivery of the court processes, active participation of the parties, judicial procedures, etc,” said the minister.

The government, in coordination with states and the judiciary, has taken several measures to ensure accessible, speedy and effective justice across the country.

Meanwhile, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to set up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) courts was launched in October 2019, for the expeditious trial and disposal of pending cases related to rape and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The scheme was extended twice, with the last extension valid up to March 31, 2026 for establishment of 790 FTSCs. The scheme has been temporarily extended upto September 30, 2026.

As per the information made available by the High Courts, as of April 30, 775 FTSCs, including 398 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts were functional in 29 States/UTs, informed the minister.

New Delhi, July 26: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding accountability for the alleged assault on students who were peacefully protesting in Delhi on July 20.

In his letter, Gandhi said that the students were protesting for a fair and accountable education system but were met with excessive force by security personnel.

“I write to demand accountability for the barbaric assault on students who were peacefully protesting in Delhi on July 20, 2026. Our students were demanding a fair and accountable education system. Instead of being heard, security forces assaulted them with indiscriminate force, including lethal weapons and tear gas. Hundreds have suffered serious injuries. Women students have been assaulted by policemen, including by deliberately targeting their private parts

He further expressed concern over the reported use of pellet guns during the protest,” he wrote.

“Most shocking has been the use of lethal pellet guns. Reports in the media and social media clearly show people who have suffered grave injuries, including a journalist. I met 19-year old student Sahil Lochab, who is now in severe pain is likely to lose an eye because he was shot with pellet guns,” Rahul Gandhi wrote in the letter.

Seeking clarification from the Home Minister, Gandhi raised two specific questions in his letter.

He asked whether Amit Shah had approved the use of lethal force, including pellet guns, against the protesting students and, if not, who had authorised it.

He also sought to know whether the individuals seen in plain clothes assaulting students with lathis were police personnel or volunteers, and under whose authority they had been deployed.

Emphasising the importance of democratic rights, Rahul Gandhi said, “Peaceful protest is crucial to any democracy. It is the government’s responsibility to protect protesters and resolve their grievances through dialogue. Such brutal violence destroys every norm, and has outraged the country. Youth and students, the future of our country, are demanding answers and accountability. Their voice will be heard.”

Earlier, the CJP on Saturday called off its protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after the Centre accepted its key demands following Pradhan’s resignation.

The decision was announced at a joint press conference in New Delhi following the third round of talks between Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, and CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, during which the Centre agreed to the protesters’ key demands.

Addressing the media, Nadda said the government had agreed to withdraw all police cases filed against protesting students, provide written confirmation of the FIR withdrawals, and ensure the highest possible compensation for families of students who died in incidents linked to the alleged paper leak controversy.

CJP leaders urged protesters to end the agitation, saying the government’s assurances addressed all the demands raised during the protest.

Speaking on behalf of the CJP, Saurav Das urged the students to withdraw their protest and return home. He said the government had accepted all the demands raised by the agitators, and there was no further reason to continue the sit-in at Jantar Mantar.

New Delhi, July 25: The Delhi Police on Saturday cautioned civilians not to trust any content on social media without verifying its source and warned people against spreading deepfake and AI-generated videos.

Moreover, the Delhi Police mentioned the formation of the Crime Branch’s Special Task Force (STF) as part of the Centre’s commitment to deal with paper leak cases.

Addressing a press conference, DCP Central, Rohit Rajbir Singh, spoke about the large-scale use of social media, particularly Instagram, during the student protests at Jantar Mantar, staged under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

“It is a big source for the youths to receive news and updates. During the massive use of social media, it has also been observed several times that many fake and misleading posts have also been shared. This severely affects the law-and-order system,” he said.

He added: “We all know that any kind of information on social media quickly gets viral. But it is not necessary that every post, video or photo put up on social media is genuine.”

DCP Singh cautioned citizens that before trusting any information or sharing it with others, “it is necessary to conduct a fact check of that information”.

“Delhi Police have been constantly monitoring social media. We are continuously gathering information about fake news, AI or deepfake videos, edited clips and misleading content on social media platforms so that people are able to differentiate between fake and genuine posts,” he stated.

The police official cited some social media posts which allegedly aimed to spread misinformation and panic among citizens.

Showing a Delhi Police’s fake news alert on a screen, he said: “Firstly, I want to mention those social media posts which claimed that a woman lost her life due to police action during the protest on July 20. Delhi Police have denied such claims and clarified that no life was lost during the protests.”

Referring to AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s post, he said: “Similarly, a politician posted a video on social media where he was claiming that the Central government is preparing for a crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar. This video had a high chance of spreading panic and fear among the public, thereby misleading them. Delhi Police had again clarified that no such action was going to take place and appealed to people not to trust unreliable information.”

DCP Singh highlighted that the police investigation has revealed that Pakistan-based social media accounts are spreading fake content.

“Delhi Police, along with other agencies, are constantly working to track down such accounts,” he stated while mentioning that more than 400 such accounts have been identified so far and have been blocked for sharing AI-generated content, deepfake videos, edited pictures and other misleading content related to the protests.

He further mentioned that similar Pak-based handles were found actively spreading fake news during Operation Sindoor last year.

“Posts on such social media accounts attempted to mislead people through edited statements of senior officials and edited visual content,” he added.

Moreover, the police official showed a fake video of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and added that the AI or deepfake content circulating on social media also includes videos showing Wangchuk.

“Another deep-fake video showed a fake statement attributed to Lt. General Rajeev Puri, DGMO, which claimed that the Army was being deployed in Delhi due to the ongoing student protests,” he said while showing one such video.

Singh mentioned that a “Special Task Force has been constituted at Delhi Police Crime Branch” as part of the Centre’s commitment to deal with exam irregularities.

“This team will be led by a DCP-rank official and under the supervision of Special CP Crime. Orders regarding this were issued yesterday itself,” he mentioned.

Delhi Police also thanked the peaceful protestors and volunteers at the Jantar Mantar for “helping the force to maintain law and order and community security”.