Delhi continues to grapple with a severe backlog of cases involving juvenile survivors of child sexual abuse, even as the capital has, for the first time, disposed of more cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act than it registered this year.
A report titled Pendency to Protection: Achieving the Tipping Point to Justice for Child Victims of Sexual Abuse, released by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change (C-LAB) for Children, notes that while disposal rates have improved, a significant number of cases pending in Delhi’s courts are more than a decade old.
According to the report, among cases pending for over two years, those that have remained unresolved for six to 10 years form the largest share. These cases account for 54% of total pendency, followed by cases pending for five years (14%) and four years (13%). As of December 2, Delhi’s courts were handling 2,075 POCSO cases that have been pending for six to 10 years.
Convictions lag behind national average
The report also highlights concerns over conviction rates. In 2024, the conviction rate in Delhi stood at 9%, well below the national average of 19%.
As of September 30, Delhi recorded 3,515 pending POCSO cases. During the same period, 2,718 cases were disposed of through Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) and Exclusive POCSO courts (ePOCSOs).
How India fares in POCSO disposal
Nationally, Delhi ranks fourth among states and Union Territories in terms of POCSO case share. The capital accounts for 6% of total cases, after Uttar Pradesh (37%), Maharashtra (24%) and West Bengal (11%).
The report states that in 2025, a total of 80,320 POCSO cases were registered across India, while 87,754 cases were disposed of, indicating that courts nationwide cleared more cases than were filed during the year.
India’s overall POCSO case backlog stood at 2,62,089 cases until 2023. However, the latest data suggests that the justice system has begun reducing pendency.
“India is now at a tipping point in its response to child sexual abuse. When the system begins to dispose of more POCSO cases than it registers, it moves from intent to impact,” said Purujit Praharaj, Director (Research), India Child Protection. He added that prolonged delays “intensify trauma for child survivors” and that sustaining the current momentum is essential to ensure timely, child-centred justice.
The study found that 24 states and Union Territories recorded disposal rates above 100% in 2025, meaning courts cleared both new and older cases. However, it cautioned that nearly half of all pending cases nationwide have remained unresolved for more than two years.
To clear the backlog within four years, the report recommended setting up 600 additional ePOCSO courts at an estimated cost of Rs 1,977 crore, suggesting the use of the Nirbhaya Fund. At present, Delhi receives Rs 13.27 crore from the Centre’s share of funds.
The analysis is based on data from the National Judicial Data Grid, the National Crime Records Bureau and parliamentary records.
Recent POCSO cases in Delhi
On December 10, 2025, the Delhi Police arrested a 76-year-old life convict who had been absconding for over four years after jumping parole in a POCSO case.
Police identified the accused as Wahid Khan, a resident of Agra, who had failed to return to jail on September 1, 2021, after his parole period ended. Khan was convicted in 2018 for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, a friend of his daughter. The case was registered at Mayur Vihar police station, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment after trial.
He had been granted a two-week parole in September 2021 but never surrendered, prompting a manhunt. A Crime Branch team tracked him down and arrested him on December 9. During interrogation, he admitted to deliberately evading jail, police said.
In another case, a trial court at Tis Hazari Courts in November convicted Raj Kumar, 30, for the sexual assault of a two-year-old girl on October 20, 2025. He was convicted on November 19 under Section 6 of the POCSO Act.
Advocate Abhijeet Bhagat, the legal aid counsel for Kumar, argued that a lenient view should be taken during sentencing as the offence involved digital penetration and not penile-vaginal penetration. The court rejected the submission.
“I do not agree. The legislature has not made any distinction between digital penetration and penile penetration,” the judge said, adding that penetration under rape law includes “penile/vaginal, penile/oral, penile/anal, object or finger/vaginal and object or finger/anal penetration”.
The court held that digital penetration could not be considered a mitigating factor. It also rejected the defence argument that the absence of bodily injuries should reduce the sentence.
“…no notice can be taken of that as no form of rape is better than others. Rape is in itself a violent crime, which gives scars not only to the body but also to her mind,” the court observed. It further noted that Kumar was under the influence of cannabis during the incident, stating that this could not work in his favour as he was not forced to consume the substance.
Online abuse complaints rise
The Delhi Police registered 45 first information reports in November and December based on cyber tip-offs related to the circulation of child sexual abuse material online, according to a statement issued on December 18.
The cases were registered by the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), the nodal unit for handling Child Sexual Abuse Material cases in the capital.
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“The FIRs were lodged after Cyber Tipline Reports were received from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal,” the statement said.
Seven additional FIRs were registered in December 2025, largely against repeat offenders, taking the total number of such cases to 52 across Delhi. The SPUWAC said it is working closely with national cyber agencies to combat online child sexual exploitation and that investigations are ongoing.
Earlier in December, an 11-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by four other students, aged between 12 and 15 years, inside a school bathroom in Rohini. Police said the matter is under investigation.
