Rape conviction rate low until 2017: Survey

Mumbai: A survey by an NGO has claimed that the conviction rate of the crimes related to rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) remained as low as 19 per cent in the city from 2012 to 2017. The number of cases registered for the same have increased, raising a question mark over the state of safety of women and children in the city.

Out of the total number of rapes reported for 2016, 72 per cent of cases involved female children. The conviction rate for Class II serious offences that consists of crimes like assault, rape, molestation, and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) crimes is consistently low, in regard to the rising number of cases registered about these crimes. From 2012 till 2017, reported cases of rape increased by 96 per cent, and molestation cases increased by 65 per cent — revealed the findings of the report. Despite repeated attempts, The Asian Age could not reach the Mumbai Police spokesperson to comment on the low conviction rate in Class II serious offences.

A city-based advocate Niranjan Mundargi, however, refuted the findings of the report and said, “ I agree about the conviction rate being low in rape cases, as 20 per cent of the time it is established the rape cases are filed after a love affair is gone sour He said, “Also the investigation in such cases takes time, which makes it difficult to get a higher conviction rate.” Advocate Mundargi added, “However, I do not agree with the low conviction rate in POCSO cases. In such cases there is no consent involved whatsoever, and the trail starts as soon as the arrests aremade.”