The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 enacted by Govt of India provides safeguards for children against sexual abuse. The POCSO Act 2012 provides for establishment of Special Courts for the purpose of ensuring speedy trial. Further, as per the Act, the evidence of the child shall be recorded within a period of thirty days of the Special Court taking cognizance of the offence and the Special Court shall complete the trial, as far as possible, within a period of one year from the date of taking cognizance of the offence. 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.
A centrally sponsored scheme for setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including 389 Exclusive POCSO Courts is implemented by the Department of Justice(DoJ), for expeditious trial and disposal of rape and POCSO cases. As informed by DoJ, 640 FTSCs including 338 exclusive POCSO Courts have become functional in 26 States/UTs by May, 2021, which disposed 50, 484 pending cases till May, 2021. Goa and J&K are yet to operationalize FTSCs. West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar island and Arunachal Pradesh have still not joined the Scheme. The list of States/UTs where these Courts are located is at Annexure-I. The information regarding the appointment of Judges in special courts formed under POCSO Act, 2012 is not maintained centrally.
The State/UT-wise cases registered and cases pending trial at the end of the year under POCSO Act, 2012 during 2017-2019 is at Annexure-II.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
*****
AS
Annexure-I
S.no
States/UTs
Chhattisgarh
Gujarat
Mizoram
Nagaland
Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh
Manipur
Haryana
Chandigarh
Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Delhi
Arunachal Pradesh
Bihar
Assam
Maharashtra
Himachal Pradesh
Karnataka
Kerala
Meghalaya
Odisha
Punjab
Telangana
Annexure-II
SL
State/UT
2017
2018
2019
CR
CPTEY
CR
CPTEY
CR
CPTEY
1
Andhra Pradesh
378
1100
361
1343
502
1542
2
Arunachal Pradesh
14
7
24
28
36
52
3
Assam
1149
1506
1721
2664
1779
3750
4
Bihar
1356
1431
2094
2558
1540
3575
5
Chhattisgarh
1676
3122
1812
3861
2027
4799
6
Goa
0
0
2
2
0
2
7
Gujarat
1697
5130
2154
6947
2253
8604
8
Haryana
1139
1592
1924
2361
2074
2962
9
Himachal Pradesh
8
27
28
47
12
54
10
Jammu & Kashmir
0
0
32
24
109
96
11
Jharkhand
385
495
615
757
654
1024
12
Karnataka
1956
4891
2036
6150
2160
7137
13
Kerala
1169
2718
1153
3462
1283
4216
14
Madhya Pradesh
1569
5428
2445
6808
6123
9677
15
Maharashtra
5248
18691
6233
22070
6558
25807
16
Manipur
29
113
43
135
58
189
17
Meghalaya
242
702
266
847
219
987
18
Mizoram
194
248
138
387
79
398
19
Nagaland
41
49
9
51
12
61
20
Odisha
249
1808
1887
3148
2036
4798
21
Punjab
489
444
411
566
389
606
22
Rajasthan
1180
2860
488
3032
596
3152
23
Sikkim
87
107
118
154
91
212
24
Tamil Nadu
1587
3547
2039
4531
2396
5599
25
Telangana
1632
2484
1665
3284
1998
3806
26
Tripura
139
481
127
569
176
649
27
Uttar Pradesh
4895
14000
5401
17161
7594
23187
28
Uttarakhand
191
409
337
586
369
868
29
West Bengal
2131
4159
2267
6251
2267
6251
TOTAL STATE(S)
30830
77549
37830
99784
45390
124060
30
A&N Islands
65
164
69
235
94
291
31
Chandigarh
3
1
2
2
5
8
32
D&N Haveli
12
16
21
21
39
38
33
Daman & Diu
5
20
3
23
15
30
34
Delhi
1623
6255
1839
7870
1719
8406
35
Lakshadweep
4
10
7
17
25
26
36
Puducherry
66
128
56
177
48
209
TOTAL UT(S)
1778
6594
1997
8345
1945
9008
TOTAL (ALL INDIA)
32608
84143
39827
108129
47335
133068
Source: Crime in India
Note : Due to non-receipt of data from West Bengal in time for 2019, Data furnished for 2018 has been used
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 enacted by Govt of India provides safeguards for children against sexual abuse. The POCSO Act 2012 provides for establishment of Special Courts for the purpose of ensuring speedy trial. Further, as per the Act, the evidence of the child shall be recorded within a period of thirty days of the Special Court taking cognizance of the offence and the Special Court shall complete the trial, as far as possible, within a period of one year from the date of taking cognizance of the offence. 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.
A centrally sponsored scheme for setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including 389 Exclusive POCSO Courts is implemented by the Department of Justice(DoJ), for expeditious trial and disposal of rape and POCSO cases. As informed by DoJ, 640 FTSCs including 338 exclusive POCSO Courts have become functional in 26 States/UTs by May, 2021, which disposed 50, 484 pending cases till May, 2021. Goa and J&K are yet to operationalize FTSCs. West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar island and Arunachal Pradesh have still not joined the Scheme. The list of States/UTs where these Courts are located is at Annexure-I. The information regarding the appointment of Judges in special courts formed under POCSO Act, 2012 is not maintained centrally.
The State/UT-wise cases registered and cases pending trial at the end of the year under POCSO Act, 2012 during 2017-2019 is at Annexure-II.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
*****
AS
Annexure-I
S.no
States/UTs
Chhattisgarh
Gujarat
Mizoram
Nagaland
Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh
Manipur
Haryana
Chandigarh
Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Delhi
Arunachal Pradesh
Bihar
Assam
Maharashtra
Himachal Pradesh
Karnataka
Kerala
Meghalaya
Odisha
Punjab
Telangana
Annexure-II
SL
State/UT
2017
2018
2019
CR
CPTEY
CR
CPTEY
CR
CPTEY
1
Andhra Pradesh
378
1100
361
1343
502
1542
2
Arunachal Pradesh
14
7
24
28
36
52
3
Assam
1149
1506
1721
2664
1779
3750
4
Bihar
1356
1431
2094
2558
1540
3575
5
Chhattisgarh
1676
3122
1812
3861
2027
4799
6
Goa
0
0
2
2
0
2
7
Gujarat
1697
5130
2154
6947
2253
8604
8
Haryana
1139
1592
1924
2361
2074
2962
9
Himachal Pradesh
8
27
28
47
12
54
10
Jammu & Kashmir
0
0
32
24
109
96
11
Jharkhand
385
495
615
757
654
1024
12
Karnataka
1956
4891
2036
6150
2160
7137
13
Kerala
1169
2718
1153
3462
1283
4216
14
Madhya Pradesh
1569
5428
2445
6808
6123
9677
15
Maharashtra
5248
18691
6233
22070
6558
25807
16
Manipur
29
113
43
135
58
189
17
Meghalaya
242
702
266
847
219
987
18
Mizoram
194
248
138
387
79
398
19
Nagaland
41
49
9
51
12
61
20
Odisha
249
1808
1887
3148
2036
4798
21
Punjab
489
444
411
566
389
606
22
Rajasthan
1180
2860
488
3032
596
3152
23
Sikkim
87
107
118
154
91
212
24
Tamil Nadu
1587
3547
2039
4531
2396
5599
25
Telangana
1632
2484
1665
3284
1998
3806
26
Tripura
139
481
127
569
176
649
27
Uttar Pradesh
4895
14000
5401
17161
7594
23187
28
Uttarakhand
191
409
337
586
369
868
29
West Bengal
2131
4159
2267
6251
2267
6251
TOTAL STATE(S)
30830
77549
37830
99784
45390
124060
30
A&N Islands
65
164
69
235
94
291
31
Chandigarh
3
1
2
2
5
8
32
D&N Haveli
12
16
21
21
39
38
33
Daman & Diu
5
20
3
23
15
30
34
Delhi
1623
6255
1839
7870
1719
8406
35
Lakshadweep
4
10
7
17
25
26
36
Puducherry
66
128
56
177
48
209
TOTAL UT(S)
1778
6594
1997
8345
1945
9008
TOTAL (ALL INDIA)
32608
84143
39827
108129
47335
133068
Source: Crime in India
Note : Due to non-receipt of data from West Bengal in time for 2019, Data furnished for 2018 has been used