NEW DELHI: Out of these 1,01,326 cases, only 1,100 were disposed of in that year, according to National Crime Records Bureau’s data. This is but 11 per cent of the total cases registered under different trial courts. A whopping 89 per cent of the cases are yet to be heard by the courts.
According to by the Ministry of Law and Justice, of these cases, 17,300 cases are pending in Maharashtra alone. The idea behind setting up POCSO courts is to ensure swift justice for survivors of sexual abuse. But with so many pending cases, the sexual predators manage to roam free. This puts other children in the vicinity of the predators at risk.
There are 597 POCSO courts in India. But with the increasing pending cases and more crimes occurring simultaneously, justice will be delayed.
Despite a significant rise in the number of cases reported per year, the social repercussions surrounding child sexual abuse prevent many peers from taking legal action against the offenders. But if justice keeps getting delayed in these cases, it sends out a wrong message to the society.