Less than 20 per cent of POCSO cases end in conviction, reveals data

The huge gap between the number of cases reported and cases ending in conviction reveals discrepancies in how investigation and trial were being carried out.

In 2018, 150 child sexual abuse cases have been reported so far though only 18 have ended in conviction, while police investigation is not over in 101 cases. Unless such cases are publicised in the media as it happened in the case of a girl’s rape by 17 men in Ayanavaram, POCSO cases tend to take a backseat though the suspect is arrested.

Many all-woman police station inspectors DT Next spoke to cite a lot of loopholes in the trial which lead to either acquittal in court or withdrawal of the complaint itself. “For POCSO cases, the statement of victims and witnesses should be recorded as per Section 164 of CrPC which mandates recording the statement in camera in the absence of police. But the accused may be acquitted citing lack of evidence,” said an all-woman police station inspector, requesting anonymity.

Also, a private cameraman is roped in by police to record the statement while the magistrate obtains an affidavit from him that he would not reveal the details to anyone. “But there is no guarantee that the information is secure. Besides, police have to pay the cameraman from their pocket and there is no clarity on the procedure. If the court itself appoints a credible person to record statements in POCSO cases, the trial in the case can be secret,” said another police officer.

While regular police stations handling murder cases have 90 days to file charge sheet, it is mandatory that the charge sheet is filed within 60 days in POCSO cases, for which the medical test results of the accused and forensic lab test results of evidences should be ready beforehand. “But we need to beg the doctors till the fag-end of the period to issue the results, since they do not understand our restrictions. Forensic labs in the city usually cite huge burden of samples from across the State to delay the results. Unless priority is given to POCSO cases, the trouble is not going to end,” said another officer. 

Though all-woman police stations were established for aggrieved women to lodge complaints without hesitation, the accused in the cases are mostly men. So, women police find it difficult to handle them, as personnel from law and order police stations don’t help them. 

“They will accompany us to court during remand and trial, but we should literally take care of everything. In the Ayanavaram rape case, the Deputy Commissioner ordered the law and order police to support the investigation but it is not the case in all the districts,” said a woman police inspector.