Chandigarh, Jan. 29 -- The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) is considering a move to link the performance appraisal of police officials to the timely completion of investigations into rape and other sexual offences against women and children. The central ministry has decided to examine the feasibility of linking the annual confidential reports/annual performance assessment reports (ACRs/APARs) of police personnel with the filing of chargesheets and forensic reports in cases of rape, and those registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, a senior official said, quoting a communication received from the MHA. The move is aimed at ensuring speedy probes in all cases involving sexual crimes against women and children, in line with the legally prescribed time-limit of 60 days for completing investigations and filing chargesheets. Section 193 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, while emphasising the completion of probe in such cases without unnecessary delay, mandates that investigations relating to offences under Sections 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, or under Sections 4, 6, 8 or section 10 of the POCSO Act, 2012 shall be completed with two months from the date on which the information is recorded by the officer in charge of the police station. Punjab has a compliance rate of 56% in such cases. The issue of prompt and time-bound investigation of sexual crimes against women and children was discussed in detail at the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council comprising Union territories and states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh, J&K and Ladakh held in Faridabad on November 17. The discussions focused on steps needed to achieve 100% compliance rate and address delays in forensic analysis in such cases. Union home minister Amit Shah, while emphasising that such crimes cannot be tolerated, had stressed the need to fix responsibility of police personnel working at the ground level and in police stations to ensure investigations are completed within the prescribed timeframe and with the requisite quality to support effective prosecution through necessary evidence and forensic inputs. Shah also urged the chief ministers of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir to closely monitor performance in this regard. The Union home secretary was asked to examine how the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Delhi could help northern states and UTs in reducing the backlog of forensic analysis, which plays a crucial role in timely investigation and chargesheeting, the official said, pleading anonymity. According to data shared in the meeting, in Punjab, around 2,000 cases are pending in forensic laboratories, while the number stands at about 20,000 in Rajasthan....