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13 untouchability cases under the PCR Act in 2024, down from 234 in 2017, and no conviction in court

How many cases are registered under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, the law against untouchability, and what happens to them with the police and in court?

By The Dalit ProjectUPDATED OCTOBER 8, 2026

Key takeaways

  • 13 cases were registered under the PCR Act in 2024, against 234 in 2017. Exhibit 1
  • In 2024 the police chargesheeted (sent to court for trial) 5 of the 48 PCR Act cases they had to investigate. Exhibit 2
  • Of 891 PCR Act cases before the courts in 2024, 13 were decided and none ended in a conviction. Exhibit 3
  • From 2017 to 2024, courts decided 557 cases under the Act and convicted in 16 cases. Exhibit 4

Cases registered under the Protection of Civil Rights (PCR) Act, 1955 for crimes against Scheduled Castes (the official list of Dalit communities under India’s Constitution), and what the police and the courts did with them, all India, 2017 to 2024, with the States and Union Territories (UTs) that registered them in 2024, as the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports it.

cases registered under the PCR Act in 2024, all India
13
cases ended in a conviction in 2024, of 891 before the courts
0

  1. Exhibit 1

    13 cases were registered under the PCR Act across India in 2024, against 234 in 2017

    Cases registered under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 for crimes against Scheduled Castes each year, all India.

    Note: Uttar Pradesh registered 212 of the 234 cases in 2017 and none from 2019 on. NCRB counts registered cases, not incidents.

    Source: National Crime Records Bureau, Crime in India 2017 to 2024, Volume II, Table 7A.2 in each edition. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 8 Oct 2026.

  2. Exhibit 2

    Of the 48 PCR Act cases the police had to investigate in 2024, they chargesheeted 5; 41 were still under investigation at the year’s end

    Cases under the PCR Act before the police in 2024, carried over or newly registered, and what became of them, all India.

    1. Cases for investigation48
      35 carried over, 13 registered in 2024, 0 reopened
    2. Disposed of by the police7
      41 still under investigation at the year’s end
    3. Chargesheeted5
      2 closed with a final report

    Note: 35 of the 48 cases were carried over from earlier years. These are cases the police registered under the Act. Untouchability that is never reported, or is registered under another law, is not counted here.

    Source: National Crime Records Bureau, Crime in India 2024, Volume II, Table 7A.3. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 8 Oct 2026.

  3. Exhibit 3

    891 PCR Act cases were before the courts in 2024; 13 were decided, and none ended in a conviction

    Cases under the PCR Act before the courts in 2024, carried over or newly sent for trial, all India.

    1. Cases before the courts891
      878 still pending trial at the year’s end
    2. Decided by the courts13
      13 acquitted, 0 discharged
    3. Convicted0

    Note: 886 of the 891 cases were already waiting for trial at the start of 2024; a case decided in 2024 may have been registered years earlier.

    Source: National Crime Records Bureau, Crime in India 2024, Volume II, Table 7A.5. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 8 Oct 2026.

  4. Exhibit 4

    From 2017 to 2024, courts decided 557 PCR Act cases and convicted in 16 cases

    Cases registered, with the police and before the courts under the PCR Act each year, and persons convicted, all India, as each edition gives them.

    YearRegisteredFor investigationChargesheetedBefore the courtsDecidedConvictedPending trialPersons convicted
    201723426421773612426066
    2018254292253859721378726
    20191336131,1951301,1770
    20202344111,188601,1810
    2021215051,1861201,1740
    20221349121,1862501,1610
    20232356171,17829218861
    2024134858911308780

    Note: A year’s cases before the courts include every case still waiting from earlier years, so the columns do not follow one set of cases through. NCRB revises figures between editions.

    Source: National Crime Records Bureau, Crime in India 2017 to 2024, Volume II, Tables 7A.2, 7A.3, 7A.5 and 7A.7 in each edition. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 8 Oct 2026.

  5. Exhibit 5

    5 States registered the 13 PCR Act cases of 2024; the other 31 States and UTs registered none

    Cases registered under the PCR Act for crimes against Scheduled Castes, by State and UT, 2024. States and UTs with no case are left out.

    1. Andhra Pradesh5
    2. Himachal Pradeshfewer than 5
    3. Karnatakafewer than 5
    4. Maharashtrafewer than 5
    5. Telanganafewer than 5

    Note: A State or UT with 1 to 4 cases is shown as “fewer than 5” and not given as a number, so small counts cannot point to the people involved.

    Source: National Crime Records Bureau, Crime in India 2024, Volume II, Table 7A.2. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 8 Oct 2026.

What’s next

The next update

We will update these figures on release of NCRB’s Crime in India 2025. This is version 1.

What the data can’t tell us yet

How much untouchability there is: only what the police registered under this one Act. Most crimes against Scheduled Castes are registered under the Prevention of Atrocities Act (55,685 cases in 2024).

What you can do

About this data

What this shows
How many cases were registered under the Protection of Civil Rights Act each year from 2017 to 2024, what the police and the courts did with them, and where the 2024 cases were registered.
Source
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs; Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), Government of India, 9 documents, Tables 7A.2, 7A.3, 7A.5 and 7A.7 and Tables 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 8 Oct 2026. Every source
What it does not show
How much untouchability there is: only what the police registered under this one Act. Most crimes against Scheduled Castes are registered under the Prevention of Atrocities Act (55,685 cases in 2024).
Last updated
8 Oct 2026 · Next expected update: on release of NCRB’s Crime in India 2025
Corrections
Changelog (version 1) · Corrections policy

Sources, caveats and definitions