SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir registered 887 cases of crimes against children in 2024, with 444 cases chargesheeted and 537 cases pending investigation at the end of the year, according to data presented in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The figures were provided in response to an unstarred question on crimes against children and implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on data from the National Crime Records Bureau’s Crime in India reports.
According to the state and Union Territory-wise data, Jammu and Kashmir recorded a conviction rate of 9.4 per cent in 2024, while 2,517 cases involving crimes against children remained pending trial at the end of the year.
The data showed that the number of registered cases in Jammu and Kashmir has fluctuated in recent years. The Union Territory recorded 920 cases in 2022, followed by 910 cases in 2023 and 887 cases in 2024.
In 2022, 456 cases were chargesheeted, 394 cases remained pending investigation at the end of the year, and the conviction rate stood at 11.7 per cent. In 2023, 413 cases were chargesheeted, 449 cases remained under investigation, and the conviction rate was recorded at 8.7 per cent.
Across India, a total of 1,87,702 cases of crimes against children were registered in 2024, with 1,11,426 cases chargesheeted. The conviction rate at the national level stood at 33.9 per cent, while 6,44,887 cases remained pending trial at the end of the year.
The data also showed that the highest number of crimes against children in 2024 were reported in Madhya Pradesh (21,908 cases), followed by Maharashtra (24,171 cases) and Uttar Pradesh (22,222 cases), among major states.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development informed Parliament that the figures covered cases registered, chargesheeted, pending investigation, conviction rates and pending trials under crimes against children during 2020–2024.
The conviction rate has been calculated as the number of cases resulting in conviction divided by the total number of cases in which trials were completed, according to the methodology mentioned in the official statement.
