As a part of its zero tolerance policy against crime and the mission to make Uttar Pradesh a crime-free state, the state government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has effectively pursued cases resulting in legal punishment to around 30,000 criminals in the last three years, setting a record of its own kind.
According to the latest statistics of the Directorate of Prosecution, the highest number of 10,520 criminals were convicted and punished by the courts under the Arms Act between the years 2020 and 2022.
Besides, 4,078 criminals were given punishment under the POCSO Act, 1,218 for their involvement in rape cases, 8,646 for crimes against women and children, 2,387 for murders, 1,152 for dowry deaths, 1,141 for robberies, and 279 in cow slaughter cases.
It is worth mentioning that the Uttar Pradesh Police have neutralised 184 miscreants in encounters so far while effective advocacy in court has resulted in the punishment of many other criminals.
Prosecution Directorate’s ADG Ashutosh Pandey said that in the last three years, effective lobbying in the court and 100 per cent testimony of witnesses had ensured punishment to the criminals.
There has been a significant increase in the number of criminals receiving punishments in recent years. In 2020, a total of 535 individuals were penalised, while in 2022, the number rose to 2,313, indicating a remarkable increase of 332 per cent. Similarly, in the cases of rape, 671 criminals were punished in 2022 against 177 in 2020, registering an increase of 280 per cent.
In the cases of crime against women and children in 2020, 1,048 criminals were punished while in 2022, the number shot up to 5,351, recording an increase of 411 per cent. In murder cases, 420 criminals were awarded punishment in 2020 while 1,180 criminals were punished in 2022, registering an increase of 181 per cent.
In dowry death cases, punishment was awarded to 182 criminals in 2020, which increased to 572 in 2022. Similarly, in robbery cases, 745 criminals were penalised in 2022 compared to 177 in 2020, resulting in a significant increase of 321 per cent. Notably, punishment in cow slaughter cases also saw an increase of 29 per cent.
However, in the last three years maximum punishment was given in Arms Act cases. A total of 6,373 criminals were punished under Arms Act in 2022 against 1,960 in 2020, 6373, a whopping increase of 225 per cent.
The Directorate of Prosecution was also honoured for performing well in the country on e-office and e-prosecution portals.
Pandey said that in 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on behalf of the National Crime Report Bureau under the ICJS system, had awarded Uttar Pradesh for prosecution work in the country. This award was also given to the Prosecution Directorate of Uttar Pradesh in the year 2022. Similarly, in the year 2022, the SKOCH Award was awarded for e-Prosecution.
