Close to 3.78 lakh cases of crimes against women were recorded in 2018, the highest since gender-wise classifications were initiated in 1992 by the NCRB. While such cases increased over the years, the case disposal rate of the police remained poor and that of courts worsened in recent years.
A record high
Crimes against women increased every year, reaching a peak in 2018. The graph includes cases filed under both the Indian Penal Code and Special and Local Laws.
Crimes against women over the years
Types of crime
Under most major crime heads, the number of cases filed in 2018 remained high. However, the number of cases filed under the “cruelty by husband and relatives” section, which has seen a decline in recent years, came down further. Graphs show cases filed each year under major crime heads.
What kinds of crimes were committed against women
Effectiveness of police and courts
The charge-sheeting rate (chargesheets filed /fresh cases filed in that year and carried over from previous years) and pendency rate (cases pending police investigation at the end of the year/total cases) of the police continued to remain poor in 2018. The conviction rate (cases convicted/fresh cases completed trial in that year and carried-over) and pendency rate (cases pending court trial at the end of the year/total cases) of courts continued to be dismal. At the end of 2018, 33.6% cases were pending police investigation and 90.7% of cases were pending trial in courts.
