Sources in NCPCR said the Commission submitted whatever data was available with it to the apex court on Thursday morning. They, however, admitted that data available with NCPCR is extremely “superficial and irrelevant”.Mandated to monitor implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) does not have any data on POCSO cases in the country, it came to light in Supreme Court on Thursday.
The revelation prompted CJI Ranjan Gogoi to remark, “What were they (NCPCR) doing for seven years?”
The comments came after Supreme Court Registrar Surinder S Rathi, acting on the court’s direction to collate data on POCSO cases, told the bench that NCPCR did not have any required details and he had to collect it from other sources, including the National Crime Records Bureau and Parliament website.
NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo refused to comment on the issue.
Sources in NCPCR said the Commission submitted whatever data was available with it to the apex court on Thursday morning. They, however, admitted that data available with NCPCR is extremely “superficial and irrelevant”.
Rathi told the court that he got a message from NCPCR seeking particulars of district officials so that the Commission can collect data from them. Rathi and Senior Advocate V Giri, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the case, told the Bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, that under Section 44 of POCSO Act and Rules made thereunder, NCPCR had a statutory obligation to compile and keep the data.
But, a source in the commission said, “NCPCR still follows an outdated format of data collection, which only lists out state-wise number of nodal officers, special courts, special prosecutors, whether the victim has received compensation, etc. It doesn’t collect or maintain district-wise data on POCSO cases before the police or courts, nor does it have data disaggregated as per various sections of POSCO Act.”
Rathi told the court that as per data procured by him from various sources, nearly 1.5 lakh cases under POCSO Act are pending.
