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In the last 11 years, the conviction rate in Tamil Nadu for caste atrocities against Dalits is a meagre 3.6%, says data. Perpetrators have been punished only in 406 out of a total of 11,117 cases dating from 2015 to 2025, points out data released by Madurai-based rights organisation Evidence.
1103 cases are from 2024 and 1560 cases are from 2025, marking a 29% jump.
The rights organisation further found high pendency rates both in police stations and in courts. A total of 167 cases are pending police investigation. 494 cases are pending trial and 3810 cases are still in court.
Despite RTI applications, Coimbatore, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Thoothukudi, Namakkal, Tenkasi, Theni, Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, Virudhunagar and parts of Chennai districts did not provide information, Evidence says.
Madurai in the lead
1322 (14.6%) caste atrocities occurred in Madurai district — the highest in the state. Sivagangai district comes second with 756 atrocity cases. Villupuram district saw 709 cases and Pudukkottai saw 696 cases.
Madurai district has 21 cases pending police investigation, coming in second after Nagapattinam (78). Several of these have been pending since 2015 and 2016.
The highest number of charge sheets has been filed in Sivagangai (1286), followed by Madurai district (906). The third highest is in Dindigul (522 ) and Villupuram is at a close fourth place (515).
110 cases are pending trial in Tiruvannamalai district and 74 cases in Madurai district. Another 62 cases are pending in Tiruvarur district.
A total of 3810 cases are still under trial. Among these, the highest is in Madurai district (441). The second highest is in Tiruvannamalai (414). The third highest is in Pudukkottai (341) and the fourth is in Sivagangai (334).
Perpetrators have been punished only in 44 out of 1322 cases in Madurai. In Sivagangai, perpetrators have been punished in 10 cases. In Villupuram, convictions have been obtained in 77 cases.
Acquittal rates in caste atrocity cases remain high in the state, touching a total of 3611.
Madurai leads in acquittals (414), followed by Villupuram (350), Ramanathapuram (319), Dindigul (266), and Trichy (243).
Evidence also noted that 2249 cases have been dismissed as ‘false’ without any investigation.
Recommendations
Considering the data, Evidence has recommended that the state government set up more exclusive special courts and appoint more judges and public prosecutors to ensure speedy trials.
They have also recommended that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay hold consultations with police officials and district collectors to analyse why conviction rates are so low. An IAS officer must be appointed specifically to monitor caste atrocities, Evidence further recommends.
Districts such as Madurai, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi should be designated as atrocity-prone areas.
State aid for casteist murders and sexual assaults must be raised to Rs 25 lakhs. Further, Rs 5 lakh must be collected from caste groups who carry out attacks on Dalit settlements, the organisation suggests.
And, lastly, Evidence has re-emphasised a long-standing demand from activist and rights’ groups: Enact a special state law to curb ‘honour’ killings.
