Bhubaneswar: The state government Saturday told the Assembly that most of the cases related to crimes against minors have remained sub judice. The information was furnished before the House by the Women and Child Development Minister Tukuni Sahu.
Replying to a query by BJP MLA from Balasore Madan Mohan Dutta about the status of cases of crimes against women and children, Sahu, in her written reply, submitted the details of crimes registered relating to minors and their status.
The data submitted by the minister revealed startling facts about delayed justice in cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In cases of children in conflict with law as defined under the Juvenile Justice Act, the pendency of cases is also high.
The minister in her statement has given the combined numbers of the cases registered under the JJ Act and POCSO in the last five years, the number of cases disposed of and the number of cases pending. According to the reply, as many as 1,105 cases were registered under JJ Act and POCSO Act during the last five years. However, only 263 cases have been disposed of during the period. The data revealed that a staggering 842 cases (76 per cent) are still pending in courts.
An analysis of the data revealed the maximum cases instituted under POCSO Act were from Khurda district with the highest of 120 such cases in the last five years followed by Cuttack (53 cases), Puri (43 cases), Ganjam (34 cases) and others.
The JJ Act provides for strengthened provisions for both children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law.