The new year’s eve sexual attacks against female revellers in Bengaluru may have generated nationwide outrage, but most such cases end up with no punishment: No more than one in 100 cases registered in Karnataka under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)–“Assault on women with intention to outrage her modesty–” ended in a conviction in 2015, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. Nationwide, one in 10 such cases ended in conviction, 10 times better than Karnataka’s record.
The outrage further grew after the video of a woman woman being groped and molested on a Bangalore street the same night went viral.
In 2015, of 5,112 cases registered under Section 354, only 69 (1.3%) ended in conviction. Of the 9,118 persons arrested in these cases, only 107 (1.2%) were convicted.
Across India, 82,422 cases of sexual assault were registered, of which 8,408 (10%) ended in conviction. Of 101,571 persons arrested for these attacks, 11,342 (11%) were convicted.
