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In Chhattisgarh, between January 1, 2023 and February 16 this year, more than 2,400 cases have been registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the state government informed the Assembly on Thursday (March 12, 2026).
Almost 41% of the total 2,455 cases (1,013 cases) are rapes, and the list also includes 73 murders, a fraction of the data.
During question hour, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Punnulal Mohle asked how many and what types of cases were registered in the state under the Act from 2023 to February 2026. He also asked about the number of cases in which the challan was submitted to the court till the same date and how many cases are pending investigation. He also asked for a district division.
Responding to a query, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, provided the data which included primary offenses under various heads. In addition to rape and murder, there were 380 cases of injury, 60 cases of serious injury and 30 cases of kidnapping.
District-wise, Janjgir Champa recorded maximum cases i.e. 168 closely followed by Balrampur with 165 cases. A total of over 100 cases under the provisions of the SC/ST Act were registered in eight of the 33 districts of the state during this period.
Challans submitted
In as many as 2,269 cases, challans have been produced in court, while 166 cases are yet to be investigated. In 20 cases, the cases were either dismissed or a final report was filed.
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In a sub-question, Mr. Mohle also asked if there was a provision for victim compensation under the law and in how many cases compensation had been paid by February 16. He also requested information on the compensation paid and asked how many cases were/are being processed for the provision of money.
In response, the Deputy Chief Minister confirmed that there was indeed a provision for compensation and that the amount had been paid in 1,647 cases till February 16, with the total compensation amounting to more than ₹28 crore. In 670 cases, he added, compensation was awaiting approval from the tribal development committee.
Published – 12 March 2026 21:14 IST
