Rape conviction rate at just 27.2 per cent, experts call for overhaul of system

The 2012 Nirbhaya case is nearing closure with the four men held guilty of the crime scheduled to be hanged on Friday, but the conviction rate for rape remains an abysmal 27.2 per cent due mainly to lapses in the criminal justice system, say experts.

From sensitising police personnel to strengthening the investigating infrastructure, what is needed is a complete overhaul of the system to ensure speedy justice to victims and survivors of sexual assault, they said.

"The low conviction rate shows that perpetrators of sexual violence enjoy a high degree of impunity, including being freed of charges," said Vani Subramanian from the women's empowerment group Saheli.

Calling for an overhaul of the judicial system, former National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam said, "It took seven years (since 2012) to get justice and there are hundreds of cases which do not evoke this kind of a response (that the Nirbhaya case got). We must have a moratorium on time."
Of the six convicted in the Nirbhaya case, one died during trial and another, a juvenile at the time of the offence, was set free after serving a three-year term in a reform facility