Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Gujarat Courts Report 1,785 POCSO Verdicts, 908 Life Sentences
Gujarat courts decided 1,785 cases under a law that protects children from sexual offences.
The figures cover the period from 2022 through August 2026.
State officials said 908 people received life sentences and 16 received death sentences.
Courts decided 346 cases in the first eight months of 2026.
Police said they usually completed investigations and filed chargesheets within 45 days.
Fast-track courts were used so trials could begin sooner.
In one recent case, a court gave a sentence within 72 hours after the chargesheet was filed.
The case involved a 42-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl.
One report called the court a Kalol court, while another identified it as a Special POCSO Court in Gandhinagar.
Gujarat courts delivered 1,785 judgments under the POCSO Act between 2022 and August 2026.
Of these judgments, 908 resulted in life sentences and 16 in death sentences, according to state figures.
Courts delivered 346 judgments during the first eight months of 2026, including 241 life sentences and two death sentences.
Police said chargesheets were filed within 45 days in most cases, including 5,463 cases within 31 to 45 days.
A recent case involving a 42-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl was decided within 72 hours of the chargesheet, though reports identify the court location differently.
- Who
- Gujarat courts, the Gujarat Police, state officials, and accused persons in POCSO cases.
- What
- Courts delivered 1,785 POCSO judgments, including 908 life sentences and 16 death sentences.
- When
- Between 2022 and August 2026; 346 judgments were delivered in the first eight months of 2026.
- Where
- Gujarat; reports variously identify the recent case as being heard in Kalol or Gandhinagar.
- Why
- State officials said fast-track courts and prompt investigations were intended to provide quicker justice to child victims and their families.
State Government Account
Reported Caveats
Speed of justice
State Government Account
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and the police said fast-track courts, prompt chargesheets, and focused investigations were helping victims and families receive speedy justice.
Reported Caveats
The reported figures show the timing of chargesheets and judgments, but do not by themselves provide a complete breakdown of how many of the 1,785 judgments ended in convictions.
Meaning of the sentencing figures
State Government Account
The state presented 908 life sentences and 16 death sentences as evidence of strict action against offenders.
Reported Caveats
One report noted that the official statement did not specify how many of the 1,785 judgments resulted in convictions or how many cases were filed against those judgments.
Location of the recent case
State Government Account
One report identified the case as being handled by a Special POCSO Court in Kalol.
Reported Caveats
Another report identified the court as a Special POCSO Court in Gandhinagar, creating a discrepancy in the reported location.
- Total judgments
- 1,785 between 2022 and August 2026
- Life sentences
- 908
- Death sentences
- 16
- 2026 judgments
- 346 in the first eight months, including 241 life sentences and two death sentences
- Investigation figures
- 140 chargesheets were filed within 1 to 15 days; 1,339 investigations were completed within 16 to 30 days; and 5,463 chargesheets were filed within 31 to 45 days
- Recent case
- A 42-year-old man was sentenced after a case involving the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl
- Reported timing
- The verdict came within 72 hours of the police filing the chargesheet
