NEW DELHI: Amid continuing outrage over the brutal rape-murder of a doctor at a govt run hospital in Kolkata and recent cases of sexual assault in other states, a new report that analysed National Crime Records Bureau data on cases of rape/gangrape followed by murder said 1,551 cases were reported under this category between 2017 and 2022.
The highest number of cases of rape/gangrape with murder at 294 were reported in 2018 and the lowest at 219 in 2020.The number was 223 in 2017; 283 in 2019; 284 in 2021 and 248 in 2022. State-wise data for six years showed that UP reported the highest cases (280) followed by Madhya Pradesh (207), Assam (205), Maharashtra (155) and Karnataka (79).
The analysis, carried out by non-profit Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, highlighted that going by the total number of 1,551 cases, this works out to an annual average of a little more than 258 cases. “In other words, on an average, almost five cases (4.9) of rape/gangrape with murder were reported every week between 2017-2022,” the report said. The NCRB in its annual ‘Crime In India’ report began reporting statistics about rape/gangrape followed by murder as a separate category from 2017.
As far as outcomes go, out of the 308 cases in which trial was completed, a little less than two-thirds (65%) of cases (200) resulted in conviction. In more than a third of cases, the outcome was one of discharge (6%) or acquittal of the accused (28%). The rate of conviction was lowest in 2017 (57.89%) and highest in 2021 (75%). It was 69% in 2022.
NCRB’s data showed that the number of rape/gangrape with murder cases before trial courts increased year on year during the period under study. The total number of cases – backlog plus new cases sent for trial – was at its lowest (574 cases) in 2017 and steadily increased to 1,333 by 2022 which is an increase of 132%.
CHRI director Venkatesh Nayak said, “It is extremely worrisome that in a large number of cases, the police filed a final report instead of a chargesheet after the completion of investigation. As many as 140 cases of rape/gangrape with murder were closed with a final report during the six-year period with 97 of these closed due to insufficient evidence to try the accused for rape/gangrape with murder.”
NCRB captures this data with regard to cases where the police investigation was not able to unearth sufficient evidence to try the accused or where the accused remained untraced, or the complaint was found to be false or where the case ended as a mistake of fact or law or the issue was in the nature of civil dispute.
In four of the six years under study, the rate of chargesheeting was above 90% even during the pandemic years. The success rate dipped below 90% in 2018 (87%) and more recently in 2022 (85%). However, the findings also show that the police have not been able to complete investigation in 32-49% cases of rape/gangrape with murder during this period.
The highest number of cases of rape/gangrape with murder at 294 were reported in 2018 and the lowest at 219 in 2020.The number was 223 in 2017; 283 in 2019; 284 in 2021 and 248 in 2022. State-wise data for six years showed that UP reported the highest cases (280) followed by Madhya Pradesh (207), Assam (205), Maharashtra (155) and Karnataka (79).
The analysis, carried out by non-profit Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, highlighted that going by the total number of 1,551 cases, this works out to an annual average of a little more than 258 cases. “In other words, on an average, almost five cases (4.9) of rape/gangrape with murder were reported every week between 2017-2022,” the report said. The NCRB in its annual ‘Crime In India’ report began reporting statistics about rape/gangrape followed by murder as a separate category from 2017.
As far as outcomes go, out of the 308 cases in which trial was completed, a little less than two-thirds (65%) of cases (200) resulted in conviction. In more than a third of cases, the outcome was one of discharge (6%) or acquittal of the accused (28%). The rate of conviction was lowest in 2017 (57.89%) and highest in 2021 (75%). It was 69% in 2022.
NCRB’s data showed that the number of rape/gangrape with murder cases before trial courts increased year on year during the period under study. The total number of cases – backlog plus new cases sent for trial – was at its lowest (574 cases) in 2017 and steadily increased to 1,333 by 2022 which is an increase of 132%.
CHRI director Venkatesh Nayak said, “It is extremely worrisome that in a large number of cases, the police filed a final report instead of a chargesheet after the completion of investigation. As many as 140 cases of rape/gangrape with murder were closed with a final report during the six-year period with 97 of these closed due to insufficient evidence to try the accused for rape/gangrape with murder.”
NCRB captures this data with regard to cases where the police investigation was not able to unearth sufficient evidence to try the accused or where the accused remained untraced, or the complaint was found to be false or where the case ended as a mistake of fact or law or the issue was in the nature of civil dispute.
In four of the six years under study, the rate of chargesheeting was above 90% even during the pandemic years. The success rate dipped below 90% in 2018 (87%) and more recently in 2022 (85%). However, the findings also show that the police have not been able to complete investigation in 32-49% cases of rape/gangrape with murder during this period.
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