Pending circumstances in trial courts in crimes in opposition to girls and kids in Gujarat has been on an increase regardless of particular and fast-track courts, exhibits the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Report 2021. The development is because of a spot in “efficient manpower, trained judges and vacancy of sanctioned posts” within the state, consultants say.
According to the NCRB report, the trial courts within the state have a pendency fee of over 97 per cent with Surat recording a 100 per cent in circumstances of crimes in opposition to girls. This is regardless of Gujarat faring nicely in disposing of circumstances in crimes in opposition to girls and kids on the police-end.
In 2021, the state reported 7,348 crimes in opposition to girls, fewer than 8,028 circumstances in 2020. In distinction, the circumstances of crimes in opposition to kids have gone up by 10 per cent—from 4,075 in 2020 to 4,515 in 2021.
In 2021, round 2,600 circumstances of crimes in opposition to girls have been disposed of by courts in Gujarat.
Compared to 1,221 circumstances through which trials have been accomplished in crimes in opposition to girls in 2020, the courts within the state virtually doubled the quantity to 2,535 in 2021. Similarly, the courts accomplished trials in 582 circumstances of crimes in opposition to kids in 2021 in comparison with 217 in 2020. Notwithstanding this, the pendency fee has solely grown within the courts.
A complete of 96,001 circumstances of crimes in opposition to girls have been pending trial in Gujarat courts by the tip of 2021, in comparison with 91,732 circumstances in the identical interval a yr earlier than. In phrases of crimes in opposition to kids, 26,240 circumstances have been pending trial on the finish of 2021 in comparison with 23,268 circumstances in 2020-end. The pendency fee in courtroom disposal of circumstances of crimes in opposition to kids in Gujarat stands at 97.8 per cent with the conviction fee at 14.9 per cent.
Notably, at a whopping 100 per cent pendency of circumstances in crimes in opposition to girls, Surat metropolis stood out among the many 19 metropolitan cities within the NCRB report. The metropolis additionally reported zero conviction fee—with courts within the jurisdiction finishing solely two trials in 2021, indicating neither of the 2 resulted in any conviction.
When it involves crimes in opposition to kids among the many 19 metro cities of the nation, Ahmedabad metropolis noticed the bottom conviction fee—8 per cent.
Interestingly, the state data excessive courtroom pendency fee in crimes in opposition to each girls and kids in 2021 even because it registered a excessive police disposal fee.
The state police administration disposed of extra circumstances in crimes in opposition to girls in 2021 in comparison with the earlier yr. A complete of 909 circumstances have been pending investigation on the finish of 2021 in comparison with 962 circumstances in 2020-end.
At 10.9 per cent, Gujarat ranks third lowest in police pendency of circumstances in crimes in opposition to girls amongst 28 states—Rajasthan has the bottom at 9.6 per cent adopted by Madhya Pradesh at 10.6 per cent.
Similarly, Gujarat’s pendency fee of police disposal of crimes in opposition to kids, at 9.6 per cent, is the bottom pendency fee throughout all states (Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has the bottom pendency fee at 6.1 per cent) with 481 circumstances pending investigation on the finish of the yr.
While particular courts and fast-track courts have been constituted, Asha Verma, Assistant Professor of Law and Head, GNLU Centre for Women and Child Rights at Gujarat National Law University feels that the “issues of efficient manpower, trained judges and vacancy of sanctioned posts” are but to be addressed. “If you look at the constitution of courts, special courts and fast-track courts have been constituted but the problem remains with manpower and trained judges that are required to be appointed in these courts. That remains lacking in Gujarat. The higher judiciary, too, has pointed out this lack of manpower from time to time,” says Verma.
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The National Judicial Data Grid exhibits Gujarat has 332 courtroom complexes throughout the state—the second highest quantity within the nation after Maharashtra (483).
Apart from addressing the extreme manpower crunch, Verma means that “efforts are required at the judiciary also where time-bound disposal has to be prioritised in courts when it comes to cases of crime against women and children.”
