BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has found itself among the bottom three states when it comes to the conviction rate in India. At 5.7 per cent for offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 3.8 per cent under Special and Local Laws (SLL), the conviction rate has plummeted.
The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report reveals that Odisha’s conviction rate in IPC crimes is only ahead of Assam (5.6) and Lakshadweep (0). In neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the conviction rate stands at 38.6 and 41.5 respectively in 2021.
The State’s conviction rate was 11.2 in 2020 and 21.5 in 2019 which points to the sharp drop. Similarly, the case pendency rate in courts is also very high and the State is in the bottom four. Lakshadweep’s pending percentage is 99.5, Bihar’s stands at 99.4 per cent while West Bengal (98.8 per cent), Odisha and Manipur (98.7 per cent) share space at the bottom of the chart.
The conviction rate under Special and Local Laws in Odisha is paltry and the second lowest among states/union territories. The NCRB report showed that at least 6,95,198 cases registered under IPC were pending trial from the previous year while another 96,250 were sent for trial last year. Similarly, as many as 1,81,156 cases under SLL were awaiting trial while another 28,939 were sent for trial.
Only 12,252 cases in these two categories saw the completion of the trial in 2021. Police sources point to the inadequacy of public prosecutors compared to the number of cases registered by Odisha Police which registers about 1.5 lakh cases each year. Another reason for low conviction, they say, is out-of-court settlement after cases are registered as complainants turn hostile.
DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal told The New Indian Express that officers have been instructed to carry out the investigation thoroughly and in a time-bound manner so that the conviction rate improves. “Though the overall conviction rate is low, it is decent in special report cases like rape and murder. Efforts are being made for the detailed and timely investigation of cases so that trials can commence at the earliest and end in conviction,” he added.