HYDERABAD: In a welcome move towards increasing the conviction rate in Prevention of Children from Sexual Offenses(POCSO) Act cases in the State, the law department issued orders on Thursday for setting up two special courts dedicated for trial and disposal of POCSO cases at Hyderabad and at LB Nagar in Ranga Reddy district.
The number of courts dedicated to hearing POCSO cases is very poor in Telangana. Of the 620 POCSO courts in the country, there are only 10 in Telangana, according to a reply submitted in Lok Sabha this August by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to a question on POCSO courts. This figure is very low compared to States with similar population as Telangana - Jharkhand(24) or Assam(24).
The conviction rate in POCSO cases has been on a decline in Telangana. As per the last three National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) publications, conviction rate in POCSO cases was as low as 15.1 per cent in 2014, which fell to a 9.5 per cent in 2015 and further declined to a meagre 7.9 per cent in 2016. In 2016, 1,158 cases were registered under POCSO Act. Apart from the orders on establishment of POCSO courts, the law department also issued orders for setting up four other courts, including one district court.