Districts Lag In Filing POCSO Chargesheets On Time; Most Units Missing New BNS Deadline; PHQ Issues Warning

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): District police forces are falling behind in filing chargesheets on time in cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The Police Headquarters (PHQ) has flagged the issue after a recent assessment revealed that not even a single district has achieved 100% compliance.

Some districts are filing chargesheets within the deadline in up to 80% of cases, while others are at just 65%.

The POCSO Act, passed in 2012, was introduced to address sexual offences against children. Under the older Indian Penal Code (IPC), the chargesheet was required to be filed within 60 days of the arrest of the accused.

However, under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the deadline has been revised — police must now file the chargesheet within 60 days of the FIR registration.

During an internal performance review, the Women’s Wing of PHQ found that several districts are consistently failing to meet this deadline, in violation of the new legal provisions.

Not even one district has reached 100% submission rate on time.This is impacting prosecution rate and ultimately affecting justice delivery.

PHQ pulls up districts for delay

DG, Women Safety, Anil Kumar, told Free Press that all districts have been instructed to strictly adhere to the timeline.“If they fail to submit the chargesheet on time, the officer concerned will be held responsible and action will be taken accordingly,” he warned.

He added that delays in charge sheet preparation also negatively affect the prosecution process, reducing effectiveness in securing convictions.