ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Mapping POCSO Act 2012 Case Statistics: Haryana and India (2020–2022)

This research scrutinizes case statistics under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, establishing a comparison between Haryana and all-India trends from 2020-2022, based on official data from the Ministry of Women and Child Development (based on NCRB reports). The key indicators analyzed, as included in the datasets, were cases registered, charge sheeted, disposed by police, disposed by courts, pending investigations, pending trials, arrests, and convictions. The analysis of the data reveals a continual increase in cases registered and conviction rates at the national level, whereas Haryana exhibited disproportionately elevated levels of case registration rates when compared to the national average. Convictions in Haryana increased significantly, from 56 in 2020 to 354 in 2022, resulting in an increase in conviction rates, from 3.0% in 2020 to 16.0% in 2022. These conviction rates exceeded the national average of 14.0%. However, in spite of these findings, rate of absolute convictions in Haryana remains low, and the number of pending investigations and pending trials consistently grew, highlighting continuing stress and delay in the system for victims of sexual violence. These results provide initial tentative evidence that although positive developments in reporting and judicial responsiveness may be emerging, considerable backlogs and relatively low efficiency of conviction rates will continue to undermine the objectives of achieving timely justice under POCSO Act. Policy recommendations include expanding the number of Fast-Track Special Courts to hear POCSO cases, establishing more capacity in police investigation, more resources in forensic services, establishing more victim assistance service support, and community awareness, including engaging local organizations. Trends in Haryana mirror the national trend, and in some case may exacerbate the national trend, which calls for timely institutional reform to address these critical objectives when it comes to investigation, prosecution, and conviction outcomes.