Ahmedabad, Feb 28 Courts in Gujarat’s Amreli, Vadodara, and Rajkot on Friday sentenced seven POCSO convicts to life imprisonment.
In Amreli, charge sheets were filed in two cases within just 17 days, with one accused arrested on the day of the crime.
In Rajkot, the charge sheet was submitted within 40 days, while in the Vadodara case, it was filed within seven days.
Strong forensic evidence, technical analysis, and witness testimonies played a crucial role in securing convictions.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Home Minister has praised the state’s judiciary and law enforcement agencies after courts in Amreli, Vadodara, and Rajkot delivered life sentences to convicts in seven separate POCSO cases.
“In response to a rise in POCSO and rape cases in recent years, the Gujarat government has intensified efforts to ensure swift legal proceedings,” he claimed.
Gujarat's special courts have delivered 947 convictions in POCSO cases over the past three years.
Of these, 574 convicts received life imprisonment, while 11 were sentenced to death. The state’s strict legal framework aims to instill fear among offenders and ensure justice for victims.
Gujarat has witnessed a significant rise in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act over recent years.
In 2014, the state recorded 613 cases, which escalated to 2,443 by 2021, marking a 398.5 per cent increase over the eight-year period.
Despite this surge, the conviction rate remains alarmingly low. Out of 14,522 cases registered between 2014 and 2021, only 231 resulted in convictions, translating to a mere 1.59 per cent conviction rate.
As of March 2023, Gujarat had 5,429 POCSO cases pending in its courts.
In 2021 alone, Gujarat registered 2,060 child rape cases under the POCSO Act, the highest in the preceding three years.
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