Maha Council: Over 2,600 cases related to sexual assault pending in forensic labs, says minister

Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Monday said more than 2,600 cases related to sexual assault were pending with the state forensic laboratories.

Responding to a question raised by Pradnya Satav in the Legislative Council, he said, as on January this year, a total of 1,619 cases related to sexual assault on children and 1,052 cases related to sexual assault on women were pending with state forensic laboratories.

''There are plans to set up new forensic labs, and administrative approval has come in for the setting up of fast track DNA units in Nashik, Aurangabad and Amaravati,'' he said.

Walse Patil said the conviction rate in cases related to attacks on women was 15.3 per cent as per the state home department's Crime Bureau report finalised in 2020. He added some 2,29,000 cases connected to women facing attacks were pending in courts in Maharashtra.