A shocking 4,928 cases involving rape of minors are currently pending in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, including its principal seat in Jabalpur and the Indore and Gwalior benches. These include 64 heinous cases where the victim was murdered after the rape.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav revealed these figures in the state assembly last month in response to a question posed by Congress MLA Bala Bachchan.
The data underscores the gravity of the situation, with about half of the total accused in such cases-2,593 out of 5,243-currently out on bail, while 2,650 remain in jail.
In Jabalpur Principal Seat, 3,013 cases are pending, including 64 cases of murder after rape. In six cases, trial courts have awarded the death penalty.
In Indore Bench, 1,284 cases are pending, 14 of them involving murder after rape. The trial court has sentenced the accused to death in 2 cases.
Gwalior Bench: 631 cases pending, including 14 of rape-murder. In three cases, the trial court has issued the death sentence.
Despite trial courts sentencing 11 individuals to death in cases of rape of minors, no executions have taken place so far.
Congress MLA Bala Bachchan sought detailed information on the number of cases of rape of minors pending in the Jabalpur High Court and its benches in Indore and Gwalior.
The question also requested separate data on cases involving murder after rape and details of any actions taken for speedy trials.
In his 132-page response, Chief Minister Yadav provided a comprehensive breakdown of the cases but confirmed that neither the state government nor the Chief Minister’s office had issued any order or instruction in the last year to expedite these cases.
He also added that 50 per cent of the accused in cases of rape of minors are out on bail.
