126753 stood trial for rape in 2011, 5724 were convicted

New Delhi: Women's rights activists and judicial experts have long demanded fast-track court processes and quick convictions in cases of rape to tackle the problem. Their demand seems justified in the light of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for the year 2011.

The total number of persons under arrest including those from previous year in 2011 were 37929 of whom, 2050 people or 5.4 per cent were released before trial. In all, 26436 persons were chargesheeted, a 69.7 per cent figure against the total number of arrests. About 9443 persons were still under investigation at the end of the year, i.e 24.9 per cent.

In the same year, the total number of persons under trial including those from previous year stood at 126753 but only 21489 trials were completed (a one-sixth conversion rate). In all, 5724 people were convicted which stood at 26.6 per cent when weighed against those who stood trial. The total number of pending cases stood at 104997, 82.8 per cent of those which went to trial.

Women\'s rights activists have long demanded fast-track court processes and quick convictions in cases of rape.

This surely paints a bleak picture about our slow judicial processed and also indicts the police for shoddy investigation which is evident from the dismal conviction rate.

Fast track courts which can convene for daily hearings and exemplary punishment are urgently required to tackle both the mountain of pending cases and to get a grip on the rising number of instances of crime against women.

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