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Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Taneti Vanitha said the state government has been taking strong measures concerning crimes against SC/STs, but TDP and a few media publications are making various efforts by making false campaigns with a political agenda.
Denying the claims made by the opposition and a few regional media publications, the minister said, “The average number of crimes committed against SC/STs has decreased significantly since 2019. The annual average number of cases from 2014-2018 was 3,418 (per lakh SC/ST population) while between 2019 and 2021, it was 2,349 cases. The conviction rate was 5.4% in 2014, 5.5% in 2015, 3.2% in 2016, 5.5% in 2017, 5.7% in 2018, 6.8% in 2019, 10% in 2020,” the minister said.
“The number of cases that went up to the charge sheet was only 44 percent in 2014-19 and increased to 73 percent between 2019-23. Further, between 2014 and 2019, it took an average of 206 days to complete the investigation…now that average has come down to 88 days… In 2017, the number of SC/ST cases where the charge sheet filed within 60 days was 21 percent, but now 82 percent of the cases charge sheet are filed in courts within 82 days,” said the home minister while noting that the time taken to complete the investigation after the arrival of this government has reduced significantly.
According to the official release, “In August 2020, AP CID introduced India’s first Oculus device for audio and video recording in investigations to ensure that investigations do not go wrong, and evidence is not lost. This arrangement has led to an increase in the rate of convictions. Further, the Public Prosecutor has also been promoted to AP CID to improve the trial process of SC ST cases in courts. A PCR case monitoring system is functioning to ensure timely completion of investigation by investigating officers.”
The release also noted that special drives introduced by AP CID for expeditious completion of investigation of SC/ST cases from January 2021 to April 2023; the charge sheet filed in court for 3,989 SC/ST cases, which led to 1,384 cases disposed of in the court.
“Compensation to victims of SC ST cases were Rs.159.304 Crores between 2019 and 2023 through full functioning of AP CID and Social Welfare Department,” said the home minister.
Highlighting the revolutionary change undertaken by the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Y S Jagan, the home minister said, “Disha, the services provided to the distressed and victims under the Disha special program is remarkable. The Disha program is very effective in punishing the perpetrators of crimes. Women from all castes, children, especially the downtrodden, Disha is playing a significant role, especially in providing justice to SC and ST women and children.”
According to the official data, 1.52 crore people have downloaded the Disha App. In 28,585 incidents, the victims received Disha’s help within 5 minutes in urban areas and 14 minutes in rural areas. Further, it has a 24/7 call centre with 51 people working round the clock. The government has also established 18 Disha Special Police Stations, 21 PPs, and 25 Special Courts to effectively implement the Disha program (900 vehicles are working for Disha).
