New Delhi: Over 12 lakh cases of crime against women were reported with the police in the past three years between 2019 and 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha.
As many as 12,05,107 cases of crime against women were reported in the year from 2019 to 2021, with 4,05,326 reported in 2019, around 3,71,503 reported in 2020, and 4,28,278 reported in 2021, the MHA informed the Rajya Sabha citing a National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
The data was laid down by Union Minister for Women and Child Empowerment Smriti Irani in a written reply to a question from Congress MP Dr. Amee Yajnik. The latter asked whether it is true that there has been a significant increase in crimes against women and that the chargesheet rate is low.
"As per the report of NCRB for 2021, the rate of chargesheet in respect of Crimes Against Women is 77.1%," Minister Smriti Irani said in her response. In the data, Uttar Pradesh topped the list of crimes against women with a total of 56,083 crimes against women in 2021, while it was 59,853 in 2019, and 49,385 in 2020. The numbers in UP were followed by 40,738 in Rajasthan, 39,526 in Maharashtra, 31,352 in Odisha, 30,673 in Madhya Pradesh, and 29046 in Assam in 2021.
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The lowest trend in 2021 was recorded in Lakshadweep with just 9 cases, followed by 18 cases in Ladakh, 54 in Nagaland, 130 in Sikkim, 99 in D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu, 176 in Mizoram, and 169 in A&N Islands.
"The Government implements a scheme for setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including 389 exclusive POCSO Courts, for expeditious trial and disposal of cases related to rape and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act. As of 31.10.2022, 733 FTSCs including 413 exclusive POCSO courts are functional in 28 States / UTs which have disposed of a total of 124000," Irani noted in her reply.
To a question on the details of the action/initiatives taken by the Ministry to get them justice at the earliest, the Union Minister cited various initiatives including the "distribution of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection (SAEC) Kits to States/ UTs; establishment of state of the art DNA Laboratory at CFSL, Chandigarh; assistance to States/ UTs to strengthen Forensic Science Laboratories; setting up of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for speedy disposal of cases of rape and cases under POCSO Act; setting up/ strengthening of Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all districts of the country" and others.
