Crime and Punishment in India

The Nirbhaya rape case evolved into a mass movement against rapes in India. Even then, through 2016, more than 100 rape cases were reported every day on an average. If we take into consideration several thousand of cases that remained unreported, the actual number of rapes committed in India is actually much higher.

The highest proportion of crimes against women, as reported in 2016, was about cruelty by husband or his family. 11 per cent of the cases were for rape while other 8 per cent were sexual harassment.

In 2016, 33732 women were kidnapped for marriage. This means that every day more than 90 women are abducted for marriage in India.

Uttar Pradesh which is the most populated state in India also has the highest proportion of crimes against women in 2016. West Bengal is at number 2 with around 10 per cent share. Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are other states listed under this criteria.

Crime against children has seen a 13.6 per cent jump from 2015 figures. 34 per cent of the cases is on crimes committed against children, particularly rape and sexual abuse which is a matter of grave concern. More than 40 per cent of the cases are related to kidnapping and abduction of children, including the abduction of minor girls for marriage which constitutes 16 per cent of the cases.

Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are the worst states in terms of crime against children as per the 'Crime in India 2016' report. Delhi with only around 1 per cent of the country's population has 7.6 per cent share in crimes against children.

The slow judicial process in the country is evident from the fact that there are several million cases pending in Indian courts. There were 1.95 lakh murder and 1.33 lakh rape cases pending at the end of 2016 which is very daunting.

Only around 35 per cent of the cases in India are disposed within a year, while 34 per cent of the cases take more than 3 years. As of 2016, there were around 3 per cent cases which have been pending in courts for more than 10 years.