A backlog of child sexual abuse cases persists in Delhi even as disposal rates have risen. According to a report by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children (C-LAB), many pending cases in Delhi’s courts are more than a decade old.
As of December 2025, Delhi’s courts were handling 2,075 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act that had been pending for 6-10 years. Among cases pending for more than two years, those unresolved for six to 10 years accounted for the largest share (54%), followed by cases pending for five years (14%) and four years (13%).
Based on 2024 data, Delhi’s conviction rate in POCSO cases stood at 9%, well below the national average of 19%. As of September 30, 2024, the Capital had 3,515 pending POCSO cases, while 2,718 cases had been disposed of through Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) and Exclusive POCSO courts (ePOCSOs). Delhi accounted for 6% of all POCSO cases in the country, ranking fourth after Uttar Pradesh (37%), Maharashtra (24%), and West Bengal (11%).
As per a report by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children, an initiative of India Child Protection, Delhi recorded the second-highest disposal rate in the country at 178% last year.
Delhi courts disposed of 1,792 POCSO cases in 2025 against 1,006 fresh registrations, thereby clearing a substantial portion of the backlog from previous years, it noted.
A steady trend
Police data also suggest that the number of reported POCSO cases has remained consistently high. Between January 1 and May 15, 2026, Delhi Police registered 481 cases, marginally ahead of the 2025 rate, when 1,171 cases were registered over the full year.
Across India, 80,320 POCSO cases were registered in 2025, compared with 87,754 disposed of during the year. Although the national backlog stood at 262,089 cases in 2023, the latest data suggest the justice system has begun reducing pendency.
Experts warn that prolonged delays intensify trauma for child survivors. Nearly half of all pending POCSO cases nationwide have remained unresolved for more than two years.
To clear the backlog within four years, the C-LAB report has recommended setting up 600 additional ePOCSO courts at an estimated cost of Rs 1,977 crore, to be funded from the Nirbhaya Fund. The analysis is based on data from the National Judicial Data Grid, the National Crime Records Bureau and parliamentary records.
According to police data, 843 FIRs were registered under the POCSO Act between January 1 and March 31, 2025. During the period, police solved 688 cases and made 987 arrests. In the corresponding period this year, 798 POCSO cases were registered, 655 were solved and 913 suspects arrested — an average of nearly 10 arrests a day. Delhi recorded 1,553 POCSO cases in 2024, compared with 1,799 in 2023 and 1,512 in 2022.
Known to the victim
According to the police, a recurring pattern in these cases was that the suspects were often known to the survivors. “The perpetrators frequently included relatives, friends, neighbours and tutors, which makes reporting and prosecution significantly more difficult,” an official said.
Investigators also said social media was an emerging route through which strangers targeted minors.
The police highlighted cases where homeless children were targeted by strangers. In January this year, a 10-year-old homeless girl in central Delhi was allegedly abducted by an e-rickshaw driver, raped and left unconscious in a forested area.
In 2025, Delhi Police registered 45 First Information Reports (FIRs) in November and December following cyber tip-offs about the online circulation of child sexual abuse material, according to an official statement issued on December 18. The cases were registered by the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), the Capital’s nodal unit for handling online child sexual exploitation.
These FIRs were registered after Cyber Tipline Reports were received from the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. These were routed through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
An additional seven FIRs were registered in December 2025, primarily targeting repeat offenders, bringing the total number of such cases in Delhi to 52. The SPUWAC stated that investigations were ongoing as they continued to work closely with national cyber agencies to combat the issue.
Breaking the silence
Survivors often took weeks or even months to report abuse due to trauma and confusion, according to child welfare experts. Police stressed that early reporting and regular communication between parents and children played a key role in helping prevent abuse and ensuring swift action. In several recent cases, chargesheets were filed within days of the complaint.
Psychologists pointed to the increasing influence of social media on potential perpetrators alongside the easy and widespread accessibility of explicit online content as major contributing factors to these crimes.
New safety measures
Earlier in June, the Delhi government issued a detailed set of directions to schools to strengthen child safety on campus. The measures include the immediate removal of employees accused of offences against children, mandatory reporting of suspected sexual offences without waiting for internal inquiries, and the formation of child protection committees. Schools were also asked to review their existing child protection mechanisms and submit compliance reports, student safety checklists and self-certification documents to district authorities within 15 days of the circular being issued.
The Directorate of Education said, “Any employee with a criminal record related to these offences must be suspended from active duty immediately, pending legal proceedings.” It also made background verification mandatory for all school staff and required schools to report suspected sexual offences immediately without waiting for internal inquiries. Failure to do so could invite legal action, including imprisonment of up to one year for school heads.
The Chhattarpur case
On June 22, 29-year-old cab driver Bashu Kumar Singh was arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping, rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in South Delhi. Singh reportedly told investigators during interrogation that he had been looking for sex after returning from Bihar when he spotted the child sleeping beside her family on a pavement.
As per the police, the girl was abducted from a spot near the Chhattarpur metro station in the early hours while she was asleep. Her father reportedly chased the vehicle but was only able to recall that it bore a yellow commercial number plate, after which investigators used CCTV footage to trace the route and identify the suspect.
Investigators further alleged that the child was taken towards Fatehpur Beri, where an attempt was made to sexually assault her before she was allegedly killed. Her body was later recovered from a forested area near the Faridabad–Gurugram border.
According to the police, Singh is a native of Bihar with five previous criminal cases, including two for attempted murder. He had worked as a security guard before becoming a cab driver in 2023. Police have served notices to three major cab aggregators regarding his onboarding and verification process. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the POCSO Act, along with a separate charge after Singh allegedly attempted to snatch an officer’s weapon while in custody.
