Crime rate up: FIRs registered in Greater Chennai doubled in 1 yr

Compared to other districts in the State, Greater Chennai has registered a marked increase in crime rate pertaining to serious offences. It has the highest number of offenders imprisoned up to 10 years so much so that in the ‘up to 10 years category’ a record high of 476 FIRs were registered in 2018 when compared to 297 FIRs in 2017.

Similarly, in the ‘life imprisonment category’, the number of FIRs registered has risen from 203 in 2017 to 230 in 2018, the highest in any district in the State.

This aspect has come to light based on the data submitted before Justice N Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court regarding the outcome of cases that were registered by the police from 2013 to 2018.

The data was sought to analyse the way in which the criminal justice system is operating in the State.

Perusing the data, Justice Anand Venkatesh said, “An overall assessment clearly reveals that the crime rate has been on the increase in the State. Data as regards the conviction rate reveals that a large chunk of convictions fell in the pleaded guilty category in the ‘up to three years’ category.” “Out of a total 3.35 lakh cases of conviction in the “up to three years” category, 2.85 lakh, that is 85% of all convictions, were pleaded guilty cases. In the “up to 10 years” category, 1,017 cases of conviction were recorded, out of which 302, that is 29.6% were pleaded guilty cases. Similarly, in the life imprisonment category, 868 cases of conviction were recorded out of which 171 that is 19.7 % were pleaded guilty cases. In the “life imprisonment” category the aggregate number of convictions for the same period stood at 868 whereas the rate of acquittal was almost double at 1558 cases,” the data revealed.