Delhi's disposal rate for POCSO cases second-highest in country

New Delhi: Courts in Delhi disposed of significantly more POCSO cases than were registered in 2025, with the city recording second-highest disposal rate in the country at 178 per cent, a report said.

Delhi courts disposed of 1,792 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2025 against 1,006 fresh registrations, thereby clearing a substantial portion of the backlog from previous years, it noted.

The report titled 'Pendency to Protection: Achieving the Tipping Point to Justice for Child Victims of Sexual Abuse' was published by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children, an initiative of India Child Protection.

At the national level, courts disposed of 87,754 POCSO cases while 80,320 cases were filed during the year, resulting in a disposal rate of 109 per cent, the report said.

As many as 24 states and Union Territories recorded disposal rates above 100 per cent.

Delhi recorded the second-highest disposal rate in the country after Chhattisgarh.

The report was based on data drawn from the National Judicial Data Grid, the National Crime Records Bureau and Lok Sabha questions and answers, as of December 2, 2025.

The report said the findings indicate that India has reached a tipping point where the justice system has begun to reduce pendency instead of merely managing it.

As of 2023, the backlog of POCSO cases in the country stood at 2,62,089.

To eliminate the entire backlog within four years, the report recommended setting up 600 additional e-POCSO courts across the country at an estimated cost of Rs 1,977 crore and suggested that the Nirbhaya Fund could be utilised for the purpose.

Despite the improvement in disposal rates, the report flagged several concerns, including wide inter-state disparities, fluctuating conviction rates and prolonged pendency of older cases. Nearly half of the pending POCSO cases nationally have remained unresolved for over two years, it said.

In Delhi, the report said, 54 per cent of pending cases have been awaiting disposal for six to 10 years, nine per cent for five years, 10 per cent for four years, 13 per cent for three years and the remaining 14 per cent for two years.

"These figures reflect cases that entered the system several years ago but have not seen meaningful progress. This suggests that pendency begins to accumulate early in the lifecycle of a case, and that the system faces challenges in moving cases forward within the expected time frame," the report said.

Highlighting the broader implications, director of the India Child Protection, Purujit Praharaj, said the country's response to child sexual abuse was at a crucial juncture.

"When the system begins to dispose of more POCSO cases than it registers, it moves from intent to impact. Prolonged delays intensify trauma for child survivors, and sustaining this momentum is essential if timely, child-centred justice is to become the norm," he said.

India Child Protection is a partner of Just Rights for Children, a network of over 250 NGOs working across 451 districts on child protection and child rights.

Among states and Union Territories, seven recorded disposal rates of over 150 per cent, another seven between 121 and 150 per cent, and 10 between 100 and 120 per cent, indicating clearance of both current and past cases, it said.