In the last eight years, a mere 71 cases were registered under Section 377 of IPC (unnatural offences ) in the state, including 12 cases in Bengaluru. But only eight cases ended in conviction throughout the state.
The highest number cases were reported in 2014, when 14 offences were reported in the state, including four in Bengaluru between 2011 and July 2018.
Overall, in India, 1,148 cases were registered in 2014, 1,347 in 2015 and 2,187 in 2016, with Uttar Pradesh topping the list with 999 cases, followed by Kerala with 207 cases and Delhi with 182 cases.
In the past three years, cases under Section 377 IPC came down to single digits in the state each year and Bengaluru recorded just two cases in this period.
‘Victims turn hostile’
Public Prosecutor Chinna Venkataravanappa, who handles cases under Section 377, said that in most cases, the victims turn hostile and never show up before the court. As a result, the cases are disposed of.
There was a lot of confusion among the police about which offences had to be booked under what provision of law. In most of the cases of unnatural offences like child abuse and unnatural sex, they booked cases for sexual harassment. This is the reason why there have been very few cases registered under Section 377 of IPC in the state.
ADGP (Law and Order) Kamal Pant told DH, “We need to go through the Supreme Court verdict in the case."
It won’t have any impact on cases registered under Section 377 of IPC since cases have been registered where there is no consensual sex. This won’t apply where minors are victims and cases will be booked even if it is consensual sex.
“The number of incidents may be high but since most of the victims hesitate to file complaints, the numbers of cases registered is low,” he said.
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