Lok Sabha Question No. 49 (STARRED), answered on 2022-02-04
Subject: Cases under POCSO Act
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Abdul Majeed Ariff

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *49 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2022

## CRIME UNDER POCSO ACT

- *49. ADV. A.M ARIFF:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to State:

- (a) Whether  it  has  come  to  the  notice  of  the  Government  that  there  has  been  a sharp  increase  in  the  number  of  cases  registered  under  the  Protection  of Children  from  Sexual  Offences  (POCSO  )  Act  and  if  so,  the  reaction  of  the Government thereto;
- (b) The  number  of  cases  registered,  cases  in  which  charge-sheet  filed,  cases pending for trial,  cases  disposed  of  by  courts  and  rate  of  conviction  under  the POCSO Act from 2018 till date in the Country, State/UT-wise;
- (c) Whether the Government is aware that the rate of conviction in cases registered under  the  POCSO  Act  is  comparatively  low  and  if  so,  the  reaction  of  the Government thereto; and
- (d) The  action  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  in  this  regard including sensitizing all concerned about the spirit of the POCSO Act ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a) to (d):    A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

****

## Statement Referred To In Reply To Part (a) To (d) Of Reply To Lok Sabha Starred Question No.*49 For 04.02.2022 Regarding 'Crime Under POCSO Act'.

(a) to (d) The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 enacted by Govt of India provides safeguards for children against sexual abuse. The act  defines  a  child  as  any  person  below  the  age  of  18  years.  The  POCSO  Act  2012 provides for establishment of Special Courts for the purpose of ensuring speedy trial. The Act was amended in 2019 to introduce more stringent punishment including death penalty for  committing sexual crimes on children, with a view to deter the perpetrators & prevent such crimes against children.

Further the POCSO Rules, 2020 were also notified by the Ministry to protect the children from exploitation/violence and sexual exploitation.

POCSO Rules, 2020 include provisions for mandatory police verification of staff in schools and care homes, procedures to report child sexual abuse material (pornography), imparting age-appropriate child rights education, among other things. The POCSO Rules 2020 also stipulate  that  the  central  government  and  every  state  government  shall  provide  periodic training including orientation programmes, sensitization workshops and refresher courses to all persons, whether regular or contractual, coming in contact with the children, to sensitize them  about  child  safety  and  protection  and  educate  them  regarding  their  responsibility under the Act

As per the information received from National Crime Records Bureau State/UT-wise Cases Registered (CR), Cases Charge sheeted (CCS), Cases Sent for Trial (CST), Cases Convicted (CON), Cases in which Trials Completed (CTC), Conviction Rate (CVR), Cases Pending  Trial  at  the  end  of  the  year  (CPTEY),  Persons  Arrested  (PAR),  Persons Chargesheeted  (PCS)  and  Persons  Convicted  (PCV)  under  Protection  of  Children  from Sexual Offences Act during 2018-2020 is at Annexure-I.

Dept.  of  Justice(DoJ)  is  implementing a   centrally sponsored scheme for setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts(FTSCs) including 389 exclusive  courts for expeditious trial and  disposal  of  cases  related  to  rape  and  POCSO  Act.   As  on  31.12.2021,  700  FTSCs including  383  exclusive  POCSO  Courts  are  functional  in  27  States/UT  which  disposed 73627 cases and 184943 cases are pending in 27 States/UTs till December, 2021. West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh yet to join the Scheme.

Section 43 of the POCSO Act, 2012 provides that the Central Government and every State Government shall take all measures to give wide publicity to the provisions of the Act. In accordance with this, the Government has taken various steps from time to time to create awareness  of  the  provisions  of  the  POCSO  Act  through  electronic  and  print  media, consultations, workshops and training programmes with stakeholders concerned.

Further,  Ministry  of  Women  &  Child  Development  notified  new  POCSO  Rules,   2020 replacing  the  previous  POCSO  Rules,  2012.  The  POCSO  Rules  2020  stipulate  that  the central government and every state government shall prepare age- appropriate educational material  and  curriculum  for  children,  informing  them  about  various  aspects  of  personal safety. The Rules also stipulates that suitable material and information  may be disseminated  by  the  respective  Governments  in  all  public  places  such  as  panchayat bhavans, community centers, schools and colleges, bus terminals, railway stations, places of  congregation, airports,  taxi  stands,  cinema halls  and  such  other  prominent  places  and also be disseminated in suitable for min virtual spaces such as internet and social media.

## ANNEXURE-I

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (B) TO (C) OF REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*49 FOR 04.02.2022 'Crime Under POCSO Act' By ADV. A.M ARIFF Regarding State/UT-Wise Cases Registered (CR), Cases Chargesheeted (CCS),  Cases  Sent  For  Trial  (CST),  Cases  Convicted  (CON),  Cases  In  Which  Trials Completed (CTC), Conviction Rate (CVR), Cases Pending Trial At The End Of The Year (CPTEY), Persons Arrested (PAR), Persons Chargesheeted (PCS)  And Persons Convicted (PCV) Under Protection Of Children From Sexual Offences Act During 2018-2020

| SL   | State/UT                   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   |
|------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| SL   | State/UT                   | CR     | CCS    | CST    | CON    | CTC    | CVR    | CPTEY  | PAR    | PCS    | PCV    |
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh             | 361    | 338    | 338    | 6      | 93     | 6.5    | 1343   | 574    | 472    | 9      |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh          | 24     | 23     | 23     | 1      | 2      | 50.0   | 28     | 26     | 24     | 1      |
| 3    | Assam                      | 1721   | 1486   | 1486   | 69     | 319    | 21.6   | 2664   | 2140   | 1562   | 73     |
| 4    | Bihar                      | 2094   | 1273   | 1273   | 104    | 146    | 71.2   | 2558   | 2017   | 1801   | 136    |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh               | 1812   | 1657   | 1657   | 310    | 913    | 34.0   | 3861   | 2190   | 2014   | 379    |
| 6    | Goa                        | 2      | 2      | 2      | 0      | 0      | -      | 2      | 2      | 2      | 0      |
| 7    | Gujarat                    | 2154   | 2066   | 2066   | 33     | 245    | 13.5   | 6947   | 2783   | 2766   | 36     |
| 8    | Haryana                    | 1924   | 1597   | 1597   | 296    | 828    | 35.7   | 2361   | 2129   | 2108   | 350    |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh           | 28     | 23     | 23     | 0      | 3      | 0.0    | 47     | 45     | 43     | 0      |
| 10   | Jharkhand                  | 615    | 391    | 391    | 38     | 129    | 29.5   | 757    | 543    | 452    | 41     |
| 11   | Karnataka                  | 2036   | 2165   | 2165   | 174    | 899    | 19.4   | 6150   | 2739   | 2654   | 190    |
| 12   | Kerala                     | 1153   | 964    | 964    | 77     | 214    | 36.0   | 3462   | 1386   | 1095   | 84     |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh             | 2445   | 2692   | 2692   | 488    | 1239   | 39.4   | 6808   | 3256   | 3302   | 598    |
| 14   | Maharashtra                | 6233   | 5269   | 5269   | 525    | 1835   | 28.6   | 22070  | 7909   | 6251   | 583    |
| 15   | Manipur                    | 43     | 26     | 26     | 4      | 4      | 100.0  | 135    | 42     | 28     | 4      |
| 16   | Meghalaya                  | 266    | 174    | 174    | 16     | 27     | 59.3   | 847    | 249    | 197    | 16     |
| 17   | Mizoram                    | 138    | 171    | 171    | 27     | 31     | 87.1   | 387    | 184    | 176    | 33     |
| 18   | Nagaland                   | 9      | 13     | 13     | 9      | 11     | 81.8   | 51     | 15     | 14     | 9      |
| 19   | Odisha                     | 1887   | 1468   | 1468   | 24     | 128    | 18.8   | 3148   | 1680   | 1709   | 24     |
| 20   | Punjab                     | 411    | 354    | 354    | 82     | 232    | 35.3   | 566    | 455    | 441    | 105    |
| 21   | Rajasthan                  | 488    | 396    | 396    | 102    | 224    | 45.5   | 3032   | 510    | 503    | 119    |
| 22   | Sikkim                     | 118    | 112    | 112    | 25     | 63     | 39.7   | 154    | 140    | 136    | 35     |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                 | 2039   | 2192   | 2192   | 275    | 1191   | 23.1   | 4531   | 2767   | 2509   | 356    |
| 24   | Telangana                  | 1665   | 1376   | 1376   | 69     | 550    | 12.5   | 3284   | 2093   | 1792   | 72     |
| 25   | Tripura                    | 127    | 145    | 145    | 13     | 50     | 26.0   | 569    | 161    | 184    | 14     |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh              | 5401   | 4401   | 4401   | 780    | 1229   | 63.5   | 17161  | 7266   | 7147   | 1652   |
| 27   | Uttarakhand                | 337    | 213    | 213    | 24     | 36     | 66.7   | 586    | 239    | 234    | 28     |
| 28   | West Bengal                | 2267   | 2403   | 2403   | 90     | 311    | 28.9   | 6251   | 2430   | 2732   | 103    |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 37798  | 33390  | 33390  | 3661   | 10952  | 33.4   | 99760  | 45970  | 42348  | 5050   |
| 29   | A&N Islands                | 69     | 74     | 74     | 0      | 3      | 0.0    | 235    | 81     | 83     | 0      |
| 30   | Chandigarh                 | 2      | 2      | 2      | 1      | 1      | 100.0  | 2      | 2      | 2      | 1      |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman &Diu+ | 24     | 25     | 25     | 4      | 17     | 23.5   | 44     | 28     | 28     | 4      |
| 32   | Delhi                      | 1839   | 1994   | 1994   | 218    | 369    | 59.1   | 7870   | 2584   | 2287   | 242    |
| 33   | Jammu &Kashmir*            | 32     | 24     | 24     | 0      | 0      | -      | 24     | 35     | 34     | 0      |
| 34   | Ladakh                     | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| 35   | Lakshadweep                | 7      | 7      | 7      | 0      | 0      | -      | 17     | 7      | 7      | 0      |
| 36   | Puducherry                 | 56     | 52     | 52     | 0      | 3      | 0.0    | 177    | 43     | 52     | 0      |
|      | TOTAL UT(S) TOTAL (ALL     | 2029   | 2178   | 2178   | 223    | 393    | 56.7   | 8369   | 2780   | 2493   | 247    |
|      | INDIA)                     | 39827  | 35568  | 35568  | 3884   | 11345  | 34.2   | 108129 | 48750  | 44841  | 5297   |

| SL   | State/UT                   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   |
|------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| SL   | State/UT                   | CR     | CCS    | CST    | CON    | CTC    | CVR    | CPTEY  | PAR    | PCS    | PCV    |
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh             | 502    | 313    | 313    | 16     | 99     | 16.2   | 1542   | 645    | 589    | 20     |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh          | 36     | 24     | 24     | 0      | 0      | -      | 52     | 40     | 27     | 0      |
| 3    | Assam                      | 1779   | 1396   | 1396   | 83     | 310    | 26.8   | 3750   | 1890   | 1548   | 84     |
| 4    | Bihar                      | 1540   | 1184   | 1184   | 113    | 167    | 67.7   | 3575   | 1837   | 1532   | 132    |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh               | 2027   | 2073   | 2073   | 349    | 1135   | 30.7   | 4799   | 2513   | 2453   | 414    |
| 6    | Goa                        | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      | -      | 2      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 7    | Gujarat                    | 2253   | 2072   | 2072   | 74     | 413    | 17.9   | 8604   | 2773   | 2748   | 89     |
| 8    | Haryana                    | 2074   | 1686   | 1686   | 333    | 1085   | 30.7   | 2962   | 2189   | 2135   | 395    |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh           | 12     | 8      | 8      | 0      | 1      | 0.0    | 54     | 7      | 9      | 0      |
| 10   | Jharkhand                  | 654    | 459    | 459    | 100    | 178    | 56.2   | 1024   | 638    | 530    | 104    |
| 11   | Karnataka                  | 2160   | 2021   | 2021   | 190    | 1007   | 18.9   | 7137   | 2665   | 2633   | 208    |
| 12   | Kerala                     | 1283   | 1009   | 1009   | 40     | 206    | 19.4   | 4216   | 1443   | 1097   | 42     |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh             | 6123   | 5867   | 5867   | 874    | 2907   | 30.1   | 9677   | 7376   | 7454   | 1086   |
| 14   | Maharashtra                | 6558   | 6295   | 6295   | 706    | 2441   | 28.9   | 25807  | 8723   | 7510   | 792    |
| 15   | Manipur                    | 58     | 59     | 59     | 5      | 5      | 100.0  | 189    | 59     | 74     | 5      |
| 16   | Meghalaya                  | 219    | 255    | 255    | 96     | 114    | 84.2   | 987    | 309    | 287    | 96     |
| 17   | Mizoram                    | 79     | 78     | 78     | 59     | 67     | 88.1   | 398    | 79     | 79     | 63     |
| 18   | Nagaland                   | 12     | 12     | 12     | 1      | 2      | 50.0   | 61     | 14     | 13     | 1      |
| 19   | Odisha                     | 2036   | 1779   | 1779   | 33     | 129    | 25.6   | 4798   | 2033   | 2124   | 33     |
| 20   | Punjab                     | 389    | 319    | 319    | 87     | 278    | 31.3   | 606    | 484    | 375    | 121    |
| 21   | Rajasthan                  | 596    | 423    | 423    | 178    | 295    | 60.3   | 3152   | 548    | 543    | 216    |
| 22   | Sikkim                     | 91     | 88     | 88     | 12     | 30     | 40.0   | 212    | 95     | 94     | 12     |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                 | 2396   | 2228   | 2228   | 286    | 1124   | 25.4   | 5599   | 3045   | 2553   | 318    |
| 24   | Telangana                  | 1998   | 1724   | 1724   | 89     | 1018   | 8.7    | 3806   | 2549   | 2139   | 108    |
| 25   | Tripura                    | 176    | 173    | 173    | 34     | 89     | 38.2   | 649    | 193    | 183    | 40     |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh              | 7594   | 6478   | 6478   | 1002   | 1602   | 62.5   | 23187  | 9650   | 9377   | 1674   |
| 27   | Uttarakhand                | 369    | 384    | 384    | 92     | 102    | 90.2   | 868    | 452    | 451    | 111    |
| 28   | West Bengal                | 2256   | 2531   | 2531   | 81     | 415    | 19.5   | 8367   | 2530   | 3292   | 98     |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 45270  | 40938  | 40938  | 4933   | 15219  | 32.4   | 126080 | 54779  | 51849  | 6262   |
| 29   | A&N Islands                | 94     | 87     | 87     | 3      | 31     | 9.7    | 291    | 99     | 95     | 3      |
| 30   | Chandigarh                 | 5      | 6      | 6      | 0      | 0      | -      | 8      | 5      | 6      | 0      |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman &Diu+ | 54     | 54     | 54     | 0      | 30     | 0.0    | 68     | 62     | 56     | 0      |
| 32   | Delhi                      | 1719   | 1589   | 1589   | 718    | 1050   | 68.4   | 8406   | 2269   | 1924   | 720    |
| 33   | Jammu & Kashmir*           | 109    | 79     | 79     | 0      | 6      | 0.0    | 96     | 101    | 98     | 0      |
| 34   | Ladakh                     | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| 35   | Lakshadweep                | 25     | 11     | 11     | 0      | 2      | 0.0    | 26     | 27     | 13     | 0      |
| 36   | Puducherry                 | 48     | 45     | 45     | 4      | 4      | 100.0  | 209    | 74     | 74     | 4      |
|      | TOTAL UT(S) TOTAL (ALL     | 2054   | 1871   | 1871   | 725    | 1123   | 64.6   | 9104   | 2637   | 2266   | 727    |
|      | INDIA)                     | 47324  | 42809  | 42809  | 5658   | 16342  | 34.6   | 135184 | 57416  | 54115  | 6989   |

| SL   | State/UT                  | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   |
|------|---------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| SL   | State/UT                  | CR     | CCS    | CST    | CON    | CTC    | CVR    | CPTEY  | PAR    | PCS    | PC V   |
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh            | 454    | 521    | 521    | 18     | 200    | 9.0    | 1863   | 536    | 793    | 19     |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh         | 28     | 18     | 18     | 0      | 0      | -      | 70     | 34     | 26     | 0      |
| 3    | Assam                     | 1496   | 1340   | 1340   | 43     | 370    | 11.6   | 4720   | 2327   | 1610   | 43     |
| 4    | Bihar                     | 1591   | 1350   | 1350   | 41     | 72     | 56.9   | 4853   | 1700   | 1533   | 46     |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh              | 2049   | 2038   | 2038   | 218    | 606    | 36.0   | 6231   | 2459   | 2417   | 245    |
| 6    | Goa                       | 5      | 5      | 5      | 0      | 0      | -      | 7      | 5      | 5      | 0      |
| 7    | Gujarat                   | 2345   | 2272   | 2272   | 23     | 140    | 16.4   | 10731  | 2985   | 2959   | 27     |
| 8    | Haryana                   | 1853   | 1506   | 1506   | 56     | 213    | 26.3   | 4255   | 1928   | 1900   | 67     |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh          | 5      | 9      | 9      | 0      | 1      | 0.0    | 62     | 11     | 14     | 0      |
| 10   | Jharkhand                 | 938    | 582    | 582    | 137    | 207    | 66.2   | 1398   | 723    | 673    | 152    |
| 11   | Karnataka                 | 2104   | 2016   | 2016   | 61     | 573    | 10.6   | 8568   | 2527   | 2507   | 69     |
| 12   | Kerala                    | 2163   | 1522   | 1522   | 41     | 165    | 24.8   | 5564   | 2303   | 1720   | 41     |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh            | 5648   | 5558   | 5558   | 482    | 1297   | 37.2   | 13805  | 6989   | 6964   | 568    |
| 14   | Maharashtra               | 5687   | 5750   | 5750   | 308    | 996    | 30.9   | 30530  | 7596   | 6956   | 354    |
| 15   | Manipur                   | 75     | 53     | 53     | 1      | 1      | 100.0  | 241    | 72     | 55     | 1      |
| 16   | Meghalaya                 | 328    | 259    | 259    | 48     | 75     | 64.0   | 1158   | 347    | 304    | 55     |
| 17   | Mizoram                   | 105    | 100    | 100    | 44     | 61     | 72.1   | 436    | 108    | 104    | 44     |
| 18   | Nagaland                  | 18     | 15     | 15     | 6      | 7      | 85.7   | 69     | 23     | 17     | 6      |
| 19   | Odisha                    | 2202   | 2086   | 2086   | 35     | 223    | 15.7   | 6661   | 2379   | 2541   | 37     |
| 20   | Punjab                    | 720    | 684    | 684    | 51     | 135    | 37.8   | 1154   | 828    | 829    | 70     |
| 21   | Rajasthan                 | 244    | 161    | 161    | 302    | 370    | 81.6   | 2942   | 211    | 209    | 371    |
| 22   | Sikkim                    | 98     | 86     | 86     | 11     | 23     | 47.8   | 274    | 102    | 91     | 11     |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                | 3090   | 2472   | 2472   | 176    | 745    | 23.6   | 7293   | 3795   | 2840   | 260    |
| 24   | Telangana                 | 2074   | 2053   | 2053   | 102    | 533    | 19.1   | 5267   | 2789   | 2471   | 120    |
| 25   | Tripura                   | 143    | 143    | 143    | 11     | 29     | 37.9   | 759    | 181    | 193    | 11     |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh             | 6898   | 6817   | 6817   | 1276   | 1805   | 70.7   | 28199  | 10248  | 9882   | 1708   |
| 27   | Uttarakhand               | 573    | 616    | 616    | 35     | 49     | 71.4   | 1434   | 675    | 674    | 39     |
| 28   | West Bengal               | 2657   | 2621   | 2621   | 29     | 204    | 14.2   | 10784  | 2568   | 3003   | 30     |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)            | 45591  | 42653  | 42653  | 3555   | 9100   | 39.1   | 159328 | 56449  | 53290  | 4394   |
| 29   | A&N Islands               | 118    | 124    | 124    | 11     | 31     | 35.5   | 384    | 116    | 137    | 11     |
| 30   | Chandigarh                | 0      | 1      | 1      | 0      | 1      | 0.0    | 8      | 0      | 2      | 0      |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman &Diu | 42     | 43     | 43     | 2      | 22     | 9.1    | 89     | 56     | 51     | 2      |
| 32   | Delhi                     | 1197   | 1667   | 1667   | 72     | 91     | 79.1   | 9981   | 1994   | 1927   | 87     |
| 33   | Jammu & Kashmir           | 200    | 153    | 153    | 2      | 6      | 33.3   | 242    | 235    | 230    | 4      |
| 34   | Ladakh                    | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      | -      | 1      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 35   | Lakshadweep               | 8      | 6      | 6      | 2      | 3      | 66.7   | 29     | 11     | 6      | 2      |
| 36   | Puducherry                | 65     | 62     | 62     | 42     | 62     | 67.7   | 209    | 141    | 120    | 42     |
|      | TOTAL UT(S) TOTAL (ALL    | 1630   | 2056   | 2056   | 131    | 216    | 60.6   | 10943  | 2553   | 2473   | 148    |
|      | INDIA)                    | 47221  | 44709  | 44709  | 3686   | 9316   | 39.6   | 170271 | 59002  | 55763  | 4542   |