More Convictions, Fewer Arrests: What Five Years of NCRB Data Show on SC/ST Atrocities

NCRB statistics on offences registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 reveal sustained case registrations over the past five years, alongside a sharp increase in convictions and persons convicted in 2024.

SCST Atrocities Act Cases and Convictions

On 30 July 2026, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment tabled in the Rajya Sabha five-year NCRB data on crimes against Scheduled Castes registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

The statistics, covering the period from 2020 to 2024, were furnished by Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Ramdas Athawale and provided insights into registration of cases, convictions, arrests, charge sheeting and trial pendency across the country.

NCRB’s Crime in India publication1 is the authoritative source of crime statistics and continues to inform policy measures concerning the safety and security of Scheduled Castes communities.

Key Highlights

  1. Cases registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act rose from 45,995 in 2020 to a five-year high of 53,372 in 2023, before moderating to 48,669 in 2024.

  2. Convictions reached a five-year high of 5,192 cases in 2024, nearly doubling from 2,613 cases recorded in 2020.

  3. The number of persons convicted more than doubled during the period, increasing from 4,855 in 2020 to 10,839 in 2024.

  4. The number of persons chargesheeted reached its highest level in 2023, when 90,664 persons were chargesheeted.

  5. Pending trials continued to increase over the five-year period, reaching a high of 2,87,694 cases in 2024.

  6. NCRB Data (2020-2024):

Year

Cases Registered (CR)

Cases Chargesheeted (CCS)

Cases Pending Investigation at Year-End (CPIEY)

Cases Convicted (CON)

Persons Arrested (PAR)

Persons Chargesheeted (PCS)

Persons Convicted (PCV)

Cases Pending Trial at Year-End (CPTEY)

2020

45,995

36,178

17,113

2,613

61,925

75,238

4,855

1,77,379

2021

approx 45,800-46,100

37,123

approx 16,300-16,400

2,848

approx 58,700-58,800

approx 74,000-74,100

5,141

approx 2,05,800-2,06,000

2022

52,866

approx 42,000-42,900

approx 17,000-17,200

4,876

approx 65,000-65,150

approx 84,074-84,145

approx 9,070-9,080

approx 2,33,500-2,33,750

2023

53,372

45,439

14,634

4,691

61,747

90,664

7,858

2,62,554

2024

48,669

40,614

14,918

5,192

55,286

84,215

10,839

2,87,694


1. https://www.ncrb.gov.in/crime-in-india.html

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