494 Convicted Out Of Over 8,700 Child Marriage Cases In Assam

A mere 494 persons out of 8,773 people who were charge-sheeted for child marriage and POCSO cases in Assam have been convicted since 2017, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

Replying to a query by Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal in Assam Assembly, Sarma said a total of 8,773 people have been chargesheeted under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) between 2017 and February 2023.

“A total of 494 persons were convicted and a total of 6,174 persons released on bail,” he added. This represents a conviction rate of just 5.63 per cent.