Gujarat has witnessed a significant rise in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act over recent years. 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. 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. The state’s strict legal framework aims to instill fear among offenders and ensure justice for victims. In 2021 alone, Gujarat registered 2,060 child rape cases under the PocSO Act, the highest in the preceding three 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. As of March 2023, Gujarat had 5,429 POCso cases pending in its courts.
