Maharashtra reported a slight decline in cases registered under `Offences Against the State` in 2023, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). A total of 169 cases were recorded in 2023, down from 174 in 2022 and 218 in 2021, placing the state at seventh position nationwide under this category.
According to the news agency PTI, this classification includes offences such as sedition, damage to public property, and violations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 1,749 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (834) and Assam (278).
In Maharashtra, one case was registered under Section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code in 2023, a section that has since been repealed under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The state also recorded three cases for assertions prejudicial to national integration, 163 cases under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and one case each under the UAPA and the Official Secrets Act.
As per PTI, under left-wing extremism-related offences, Maharashtra reported five murders committed by Naxalites and six attempted murders in 2023. Additionally, there were two cases of loot (robbery/dacoity) and four arson cases reported under this category.
While state-related offences saw a decline, environment-related crimes surged significantly. Maharashtra recorded 4,854 such cases in 2023, almost double the 2,478 cases in 2022 and over four times the 1,094 cases in 2021. The state ranked fourth in this category, behind Tamil Nadu (41,304 cases), Kerala (8,786), and Rajasthan (7,794).
Breakdown of environment-related offences in Maharashtra in 2023 includes:
● 17 cases under the Forest Act and Forest Conservation Act
● 27 cases under the Wildlife Protection Act
● 257 cases under the Environment Protection Act
● 14 cases under laws related to air and water pollution
● 4,539 cases under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA)
Notably, the charge-sheeting rate in environmental cases stood at 99.7 per cent, reflecting prompt action in prosecuting such offences.
Mumbai records highest economic fraud cases among metros in 2023: NCRB
Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, topped the list of metropolitan cities in economic offences with 6,476 such cases registered in 2023, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
However, as compared to the number of economic offences Mumbai reported in 2022, it saw a dip in such cases in 2023. While it reported 5,671 and 6,960 such cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively, the figure came down by 484 cases in 2023 compared to the previous year, the data showed.
Out of these cases, the police have filed charge sheets in 37.9 per cent of cases, the report mentioned.
In the list of metropolitan cities, Mumbai was followed by Hyderabad with 5,728 cases of economic offences registered, whereas Jaipur occupied the third spot with 5,304 such cases.
Maharashtra`s graph in terms of the number of financial fraud cases saw an upward rise over the past few years, with 19,803 such offences in 2023 as compared to 18,729 in 2022 and 15,550 in 2021, the NCRB report said.
(With PTI inputs)
