Haryana: Human Rights Commission takes strict stance on rising crimes against children; suo motu cognizance of NCRB Report

May 20, 2026

Expressing grave concern over the continuously rising crimes against children in the state, the Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken *suo motu* cognizance of the matter, based on the report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB-2024).
The Commission stated that the situation regarding crimes against children in Haryana is “extremely alarming” and raises serious questions about the state’s child protection mechanisms.

A Full Bench of the Commission comprising Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, Member (Judicial) Kuldeep Jain, and Member Deep Bhatia has sought detailed reports from senior officials of various departments. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for August 6, 2026.

In its order, the Commission noted that, according to the NCRB report, 7,547 cases of crimes against children were registered in Haryana in the year 2024 an increase of approximately 17.9 percent compared to 2023. The report cites a crime rate of 82.8 per 100,000 child population, which is the highest in the country.

The Commission stated that these cases include crimes such as murder, rape, penetrative sexual assault, kidnapping, human trafficking, child marriage, abandonment, female foeticide, and offenses registered under the POCSO Act. In particular, the Commission termed the rise in POCSO cases—especially those involving girl children—as a grave threat to the safety, dignity, and psychological development of children.

The Commission observed that, despite constitutional and statutory safeguards, incidents of violence, exploitation, and abuse against children continue to rise. This clearly indicates that preventive mechanisms, surveillance systems, and institutional accountability have failed to yield the desired results. The Commission further stated that schools, hostels, child care institutions, and other organizations are proving ineffective in fulfilling their constitutional responsibility to provide a safe environment for children.