A recent RTI query exposes a critical shortage of paralegal volunteers in Delhi police stations, significantly hindering support for victims in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases despite Supreme Court directives.
Key Points
- Only 50 out of 194 Delhi police stations have paralegal volunteers, limiting support for vulnerable individuals.
- Minimal paralegal volunteer assistance is provided in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases in Delhi, despite legal mandates.
- Paralegal volunteers in Delhi are primarily engaged in the 'Missing Children' project, diverting resources from POCSO cases.
- The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the lack of paralegal volunteer deployment and support for child victims in POCSO cases.
- The Supreme Court has directed states and Union territories to address the shortage of paralegal volunteers and support persons for POCSO cases.
Only 50 of Delhi's 194 police stations currently have paralegal volunteers and only one victim of a POCSO case availed their assistance in 2025, despite a Supreme Court mandate on it, an RTI query has revealed.
Paralegal volunteers (PLVs) work in three shifts of eight hours each at the 50 police stations, which comes around to a fourth of all stations in the national capital, data provided by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) showed.
However, their utilisation in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases appears minimal. According to replies received from district legal services authorities, only one POCSO case in 2025 in southwest district involved the assignment of a PLV to assist the victim.
The replies to the RTI query also indicate that the volunteers are not specifically deployed for POCSO cases and are primarily engaged under the 'Missing Children' project.
Paralegal Volunteer Deployment Across Delhi Districts
Data shows that in the northeast district, four of the 10 police stations - Gokalpuri, Khajuri Khas, New Usmanpur and Karawal Nagar - have PLVs deployed. In New Delhi district, only two police stations, Sagarpur and Vasant Kunj South, have such volunteers.
In south district, five of the 14 police stations - Sangam Vihar, Fatehpur Beri, Neb Sarai, Ambedkar Nagar and Mehrauli - have PLV deployment. In Shahdara district, Seemapuri, Nand Nagri, Harsh Vihar and Jafrabad police stations have PLV services.
North district, which has 15 police stations, has PLVs deployed in Alipur, Jahangirpuri, Bawana, Bhalaswa Dairy, Samaypur Badli, Narela, Shahbad Dairy and Swaroop Nagar police stations.
In southwest district, six of the 16 police stations - Bindapur, Dabri, Uttam Nagar, Najafgarh, Kapashera and Palam - have PLVs, while in northwest district, seven of the 19 police stations have them.
Supreme Court Intervention and Future Actions
DSLSA said that in 2025, five training programmes were conducted in which 661 PLVs were trained on various subjects, including laws related to POCSO.
The issue came under scrutiny last year in the Supreme Court, which expressed concern over gaps in the deployment of PLVs at police stations and the shortage of support persons mandated under Section 39 of the POCSO Act.
Hearing a petition filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the court observed that PLVs serve as an important interface for child victims during their first interaction with police and help ensure legal assistance and support during investigation and trial.
The bench directed all states and Union territories to verify the data regarding PLV deployment and take corrective steps wherever volunteers have not been empanelled or funds have not been allocated for the scheme.
It also directed authorities to reassess the requirement of support persons in view of pending POCSO cases and ensure that trained personnel are available to assist child victims during investigation and trial.
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