Pending cases in Delhi rose by over 4% in 2021 compared to previous year: NCRB data

Pending cases in Delhi increased by over 4% in 2021 with 94,419 such cases under police investigation compared to 90,697 in 2020, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

According to it, the pendency percentage in Delhi was 24.8% while the charge sheet rate was 30%

The Delhi Police were investigating 3,79,758 cases lodged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2021, including 90,697 pending cases from the year before.

Of these, 2,85,142 cases were disposed of by the police while 94,419 cases were pending at the end of 2021. Delhi accounts for 21.7% of all pending cases in 19 metropolitan cities, according to the data.

The Delhi Police has, however, held the pandemic responsible for the high pendency of the cases.

"The police were involved in other social activities during the pandemic. Apart from this, the Delhi courts were also closed during the period. Courts were handling cases online. So, final reports of the charge sheet were not being taken while the courts were hearing specific cases online," a senior police official said.

According to NCRB data, 197 cases were quashed at the investigation stage in 2021.

Only six cases were transferred to other state or investigation agencies in 2021 as compared to 140 the previous year.

There was also a slight drop in cases that ended as a mistake of fact or law or Civil dispute. In 2020, as many as 36,158 cases were ended while in 2021, only 35716 such cases were reported.

Delhi also reported the highest 2,618 crimes committed by juveniles among all 19 metropolitan cities. This accounts for over 44% of such crimes in 19 cities. 

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