CRIMINAL CASES PENDING IN STATES

CRIMINAL CASES PENDING IN STATES

More than 72 lakh cases relating to crimes including murder, rape and riots were pending in different courts across the country with Maharashtra having a highest backlog of over 13 lakh.
According to a latest report of the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 72,58,302 cases, registered for offences under Indian Penal Code, were before courts in 28 states and seven Union Territories at the end of last year. Out of these, 13,27,036 cases, the highest in the list of states, were pending in Maharashtra followed by 8,36,531 in Gujarat, 5,94,249 in Madhya Pradesh, 5,67,439 in West Bengal and 5,22,157 in Bihar, the report Crime in India - 2010 statistics by National Crime Records Bureau, under the MHA, said.

It said that out of the total of 2,19,745 cases awaiting verdict in Union Territories, the highest number of 2,00,334 lakh cases were pending in Delhi courts followed by 5,938 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 5,506 in Puducherry, 5,144 in Chandigarh, 2,179 in Dadar and Nagar Haveli, 506 in Daman and Diu and 138 in Lakshawdeep. The north-eastern states had a lesser pendency of IPC cases. About 1,098 cases were pending trial in courts in Sikkim, 1,177 in Mizoram, 1,646 in Nagaland and 2,689 in Manipur among others. According to the report, which carried data for 2010, 4,48,502 cases were being heard in courts in Rajasthan, 4,06,441 in Uttar Pradesh, 3,71,908 in Kerala, 3,30,457 in Odisha and 3,31,854 in Andhra Pradesh among others.

Whereas 2,65,064 cases under IPC were pending trial in courts in Karnataka, 2,55,725 were in Tamil Nadu, 1,76,957 in Chhattisgarh, 1,40,618 in Haryana and 95,679 in Assam. The crimes under IPC included murder, attempt to commit murder, rape, dacoity, theft, trafficking in women, cheating, dowry deaths and arson.

                                                                    Prof. John Kurakar