572 murder cases, 36 convictions: RTI highlights justice delays in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: A Right to Information (RTI) reply from the Hyderabad City Police reveals that 572 murder cases were registered between January 2021 and June 2026. Only 36 of these cases ended in conviction. This raises serious questions about how quickly justice is delivered.
Hyderabad-based RTI activist Kareem Ansari filed the application. The police department replied on June 5, 2026. The Commissioner of Police’s office issued the response.Sharing his insights on the RTI data, Kareem Ansari said, “The RTI response provides valuable insight into Hyderabad’s criminal justice system. While the police have reported detection of most murder cases, the large number of cases pending before courts points to the need for faster delivery of justice.”
Furthermore, the RTI reply gives a detailed view of murder cases over the last five years. Police registered 572 murder cases under Section 302 IPC and relevant BNS sections. Out of these, police solved 555 cases, a detection rate of over 97 percent. In total, 1,313 people were accused in these cases. Police arrested 1,267 of them, but 34 are still absconding.
In terms of prosecution, police filed charge sheets in 443 of these cases. Another 83 cases are still under investigation. Courts are still hearing 369 cases, pointing to a large backlog. Only 36 cases ended in conviction, while 19 ended in acquittal.
Despite these efforts, Hyderabad City Police have solved almost all murder cases and arrested most suspects. But the conviction rate tells a different story. Only 36 out of 572 cases led to conviction, about 6.3 percent over five years. This highlights the gap between arrests and successful prosecution.
Moreover, the 369 pending trial cases are the biggest group in the data. This shows the scale of the backlog in local courts. Another concern is that 34 people accused in murder cases are still absconding, even after being identified.
