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A Discussion On Judicial Supervision of Police Functioning by Divyansh Hanu Rathi
A Discussion On Judicial Supervision of Police Functioning by Divyansh Hanu Rathi
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A DISCUSSION ON JUDICIAL
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SUPERVISION
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OF POLICE FUNCTIONING
By: Divyansh Hanu Rathi
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A Discussion on Judicial Supervision of Police Functioning By: Divyansh Hanu Rathi Page 1
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INTRODUCTION
The need to reform the police in India started being felt ever since the inception of state police
in the last decade of eighteenth century, itself an effort to mitigate the excesses of Darogahs
working for and paid by Zamindars. Complaints of torture by
thestate police (working under Collectors) for realization of landrevenues led to the setting up
of a Commission for theInvestigation of Alleged Cases of Torture in the MadrasPresidency,
and its two-volume report in 1855 unveiled the reality of policing as based
on torture and extraction of confessions.
The change from Company Raj to British Raj saw thepromulgation of a host of laws, including
the Police Act, theCriminal Procedure Code, the Evidence Act, and various State
Police Regulations which sought to give a human rightsorientation to policing by constraining
their powers of arrest and use of force and by limiting the uses to which their records could be
put to substantiate charges before a court of law, However the laws remained in the books and
could not materially affect the practice, except in terms of presentation styles, as was concluded
by the Police Commission of 1902.
Freedom from colonial rule did not mean freedom atrocities of Police, the atrocities of Police
continued unabated. The legal scholar Upendra Baxi has said that custodial violence or torture
is an integral part of police operation in India, and the recent spate of arrest and prosecution
of police officers of all ranks on charges of fake encounter, torture in custody and illegal
detentions indicates that the need for reforms despite suggestions made by a
plethoraof Commission and Committees, and their half-heartedimplementation, remains as
pressing as ever.
As this historical account shows, the discourse on policereform is not so much about police ef
fectiveness or police efficiency as it is about police conduct. The call for reforming the police
has emanated not because of their failure to control crime, or detect crime, but on account of
their unlawful, unscrupulous, brutal and deceitful behaviour.
The primary responsibility of Police is to protect life, liberty and property of citizens. It is for
the protection of these rights that Criminal Justice System has been constituted assigning
important responsibility to the Police. They have various of duties to perform, the most
important among them being maintenance of Law and order and investigation of offences. The
police are charged with the responsibility of protecting precious Human Rights of the citizens.
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Whenever there is invasion or threat of invasion of ones human rights it is to the police that
the citizen rushes for help. Unfortunately the contribution of the police in this behalf is not
realized and only the aberrations of the police are noticed, highlighted and criticized. The
aberrations must be corrected and the police respected for the difficult role they play even at
the cost of their lives in the process of protecting the rights of the citizens.1
ROLE OF POLICE:
The institution of police is for the purpose of protecting the good and suppressing the evil in
society by correctly enforcing the rules and regulations which man has created for himself to
secure his moral development as an individual and material in development of the society2.
The words "Police" and "Police Officer" need to be explained and understood. The term
'Police' has been defined in the Police Act,1861 as "Police includes all persons who shall be
enrolled under this act". But this definition is not exhaustive. The Black's Law Dictionary,
defines the term as, "Police is the function of that branch of the administrative machinery of
government which is charged with the preservation of public order and tranquillity, promotion
of public health, safety and morals and prevention, detection and punishment of crimes.
There have been three types of Police system throughout the world namely the People's Police,
the Ruler Appointed Police, and Colonial Police3.
The police by the very nature should be People's Police, that is a body which has grown from
amongst the people themselves by their voluntary contribution of labour for the guidance of
individuals and the protection of society and maintaining its integrity.
The second type of Police is the ruler appointed police. When the ruler seized power by one
means or other, he appointed a police force a police force to maintain order in the area and
amongst the people he ruled. The existence of such a ruler appointed police can be traced to
the earliest days of recorded history of the Egyptian or Persian civilisation.
The third type of Police, is the Colonial Police, appointed by a foreign power to carry out the
1 Committee on Reforms of Criminal Justice System Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs
Report VOLUME I INDIA, March
2
B.N Malik, A philosophy for the Police, Allied Publishers ,1969
3
Dr. Deepa Singh, Human Rights and Police Predicament,2002
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police functions in the subjugated country. This is the form of Police, which British introduced
in the sub-continent of India. One of the good points of colonial police under the British rule
was that Police must have roots in the people, came into the concepts of Indian Police.
The ruler appointed police naturally came in conflict with the national liberation movements
in the country and had to act on behalf of the government and in this process acquired great
deal of unpopularity.
The weakness of Indian Police still persists, because it not only to uphold the Constitution and
the Fundamental Rights of the people but also the policies and politics of the ruling party, with
which large masses of people may not be sometimes be in agreement. Hence police often come
into conflict with people whenever there is an untoward expression of people's resentment
against government measures.
State
Zone
Range
District
Sub Division
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Circle
Police Station
Police units in India are well-structured hierarchical organizations. Though, there is marginal
variation in the ranks and hierarchical order in the different organization, however, there is a
general uniformity in this context in most of the police organizations. The rank and hierarchical
structure of the police organization is as following:
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I. PREVENTIVE DETENTION
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Under Article 22(5) of the Constitution of India, there are provisions for preventive detention
under special preventive detention law. Under the same Article, the provisions are made that
the arrested person should, as soon as possible, be communicated the grounds of detention and
he/she should be given the earliest opportunity to make a representation against the detention.
In the Supreme Court in the case of Icchu Devi Choraria v. Union of India4, declared that
personal liberty is a most precious possession and that life without it would not be worth living.
Terming it as its duty to uphold the right to personal liberty, the court condemned detention of
suspects without trial observing that the power of preventive detention is a draconian power,
justified only in the interest of public security and order and it is tolerated in a free society only
as a necessary evil.
i. The detained person must be supplied copies of the documents, statements and other
materials on the basis of which she/he is being detained, without delay.
ii. The authorities who have detained a person must consider the representation of the detained
person against the detention as soon as possible.
iii. The burden of proving that the detention is in accordance with the procedure established
by law lies on the detaining authority.
One of the most important functions of the police is criminal investigation and all the
procedures or the functions of the police regarding it are conducted and concluded in the form
of various types of police reports. Under Section 2(1)( r) of the Code of Criminal
Procedure,1973, The police report means a report forwarded by a police officer to a
magistrate.5
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a) Initial or Preliminary Report, which can also be termed as First Informatory Report;
The report writing includes following aspects: - Gathering the facts; investigate, interview,
interrogate.
i. Record the facts immediately, take notes, photographs and sketch map, prepare
documentation
First Information Report (FIR) is the earliest and the first information which is received about
the commission of the cognizable offence. It sets the ball of the criminal justice process
rolling.
The Supreme Court in T.T. Anthony Vs State of Kerala6 has given directives that FIR is the
record of the earliest information received about the commission of a cognizable offence.
Therefore, question of registering second FIR does not arise. However, it is possible that more
than one set of information may be received from time to time and from different people in
respect of the same incident. In such a situation, before submitting the final report, the officer
incharge of the police station must investigate not merely the cognizable offence reported in
the FIR but also other the connected offences found to have been committed in the course of
the same transaction or the same occurrence.
In case of Delhi Domestic Working Womens Forum v. Union of India and others7, the
Supreme Court has given certain directives with respect to rape victims, which are as follows:
6
2001 SSC 181
7 1995 SCC 14
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1. As soon as the rape victim reports the crime at the police station, she must be informed about
her right to get a lawyer before any questions are asked from her. The facts that she was
informed of this right must be mentioned in the police report
2. The police should make arrangements to provide the victim with a lawyer if she does not
have access to one
Supreme Court in the case of Lalita Kumari v. Union of India8, dealt extensively registration
of FIR under Section 154 and laid down the following guidelines:
(i) Registration of FIR is mandatory under Section 154 of the Code, if the information discloses
commission of a cognizable offence and no preliminary inquiry is permissible in such a
situation.
(ii) If the information received does not disclose a cognizable offence but indicates the necessity
for an inquiry, a preliminary inquiry may be conducted only to ascertain whether cognizable
offence is disclosed or not.
(iii) If the inquiry discloses the commission of a cognizable offence, the FIR must be registered.
In cases where preliminary inquiry ends in closing the complaint, a copy of the entry of such
closure must be supplied to the first informant forthwith and not later than one week. It must
disclose reasons in brief for closing the complaint and not proceeding further.
(iv) The police officer cannot avoid his duty of registering offence if cognizable offence is
disclosed. Action must be taken against erring officers who do not register the FIR if
information received by him discloses a cognizable offence.
(v) The scope of preliminary inquiry is not to verify the veracity or otherwise of the information
received but only to ascertain whether the information reveals any cognizable offence.
(vi) As to what type and in which cases preliminary inquiry is to be conducted will depend on
the facts and circumstances of each case. The category of cases in which preliminary inquiry
may be made are as under:
8 (2014) 2 SCC 1
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(vii) While ensuring and protecting the rights of the accused and the complainant, a
preliminary inquiry should be made time bound and in any case it should not exceed fifteen
days generally and in exceptional cases, by giving adequate reasons, six weeks time is
provided. The fact of such delay and the causes of it must be reflected in the General Diary
entry. (After modification of the judgement done on 05 march,2014)
(viii) Since the General Diary/Station Diary/Daily Diary is the record of all information
received in a police station, we direct that all information relating to cognizable offences,
whether resulting in registration of FIR or leading to an inquiry, must be mandatorily and
meticulously reflected in the said Diary and the decision to conduct a preliminary inquiry must
also be reflected, as mentioned above.
b) Report of Arrest
Under Section 58 of the Cr. P.C, when a police officer makes an arrest without warrant, then
the officer incharge has to inform the magistrate of the Ilaka or the area. It is also mandatory
for SHOs in compliance of the judgment of Supreme Court in D.K.Basu v. West Bengal9.
III. INVESTIGATION
After registering the First Information Report (in short FIR), the police starts the investigation.
As per Supreme Court verdict in State of West Bengal v. Swapan Kumar Guha and
Others10, an investigation cannot be started on mere unfounded suspicion. The unlimited
discretion according to the Supreme Court, to start the investigation is a ruthless destroyer
of personal freedom. The right of the police to conduct an inquiry must be conditioned by the
existence of reason to suspect the commission of a cognizable offence. Such reason can be
established only if facts in the FIR point towards an offence being committed.
The Supreme Court further laid down that an FIR which does not allege or disclose that the
essential requirements of the penal provision, cannot form the foundation or constitute the
starting point of a lawful investigation.
9
AIR 1997 SC 610
10
1982 SCC 561
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In this case, the Supreme Court laid down following clear directives as far as investigation is
concerned:
i. It is essential before starting an investigation that facts mentioned in the FIR disclose all the
elements that are required to make up a cognizable offence.
iii. Courts have a duty to intervene in the investigation process to prevent the harassment of
individuals, if their rights are being violated, and correct procedure is not being followed.
During the course of investigation, one major issue which crops up is that of self incrimination.
Under Article 20(3) of the Constitution of India, no person shall be compelled to be a witness
against him/herself. Section 161(2) of the Cr.P.C (1973) cast a duty on a person to truthfully
answer all the questions except those which establish a personal guilt.27 However, under
section 179 of the Indian Penal Code, refusing to answer any question asked by a public servant,
who is authorized to ask that question, is punishable.
But in the famous Nandini Satpathy v. P. L Dani11, the Supreme Court has cleared that
although a person cannot refuse to answer but he cannot at the same time be forced to do so.
In this case, the Supreme Court laid down the following guidelines regarding self-
incrimination: -
i. An accused person cannot be coerced or influenced into giving a Statement pointing to her
/his guilt.
ii. The accused person must be informed of her/his right to remain silent and also of the right
against self-incrimination.
iii. The person being interrogated has the right to have a lawyer by his/her side if he/she so
desires.
11
AIR 1978 SC 1025
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iv. An accused person must be informed of the right to consult a lawyer of his choice at the
time of questioning, irrespective of the fact whether he/she is under arrest or in detention .
v. Women should not be summoned to the police station for questioning in breach of section
160(1) of the Cr.P.C.
vi. As far as consulting a lawyer during the course of interrogation is concerned, the Supreme
Court in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal12 has clarified that the arrestee can meet his/her
lawyer during the interrogation but not throughout the interrogation.
Article 19 of constitution of India, the right to express once convictions and opinions by word
of mouth is conferred to every citizen, thus telephone tapping violates this right. Under Section
5(2) of Indian Telegraph Act., 1882, the investigating agency has no unguided and unbridled
power to invade a persons privacy through telephone tapping13.
The Supreme Court in Peoples Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India14, has laid down
following directives regarding telephone tapping: -
1. Tapping of telephone is prohibited without an authorizing order from the Home Secretary,
Government of India or the Home Secretary of the concerned State Government (in case of
emergency this power may be delegated to an officer of the home department not below the
rank of Joint Secretary).
2. The order, unless it is renewed, shall cease to have authority at the end of two months from
the date of issue. Though the order may be renewed, it cannot remain in operation beyond six
months.
4. All copies of the intercepted material must be destroyed as soon as their retention is not
necessary under the terms of section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act., 1882.
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IV. ARREST
One of the most prominent functions or actions of the police is to make an arrest after the
required investigation. Article 22(1) of the Constitution of India lays down that no person, who
is arrested, shall be detained in custody without being informed, as soon as may be, of the
grounds of arrest nor shall he or she be denied the right to consult and be defended by a legal
practitioner of his/her choice. Under section 57 of the Cr.P.C., the arrested person cannot be
kept in the custody for more than 24 hours without the order of the Magistrate. Under Article
22 (2) of the Constitution of India, the police has to inform or to present the arrested person
before the magistrate of the area, within 24 hours of the arrest.
The Supreme Court in Joginder Kumar v. State of UP and other15 lays down following
directives regarding the arrest: -
i. Arrests are not to be made in a routine manner. The officer making the arrest must be able
to justify its necessity on the basis of some preliminary investigation.
ii. An arrested person should be allowed to inform a friend or relative about the arrest and the
place, where she/he is being held. The arresting officer must inform the arrested person when
she/he is brought to the police station, of this right and is required to make an entry in the diary
as to who was informed.
iii. It is the duty of the magistrate before whom the arrested person is produced, to satisfy
her/himself that the above requirements have been complied with.
The Supreme Court, in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal16, has laid down specific guidelines
required to be followed while making arrests. The principles laid down by the Supreme Court
are given hereunder:
(i) The police personnel carrying out the arrest and handling the interrogation of the arrestee
should bear accurate, visible and clear identification and name tags with their designations.
The particulars of all such police personnel who handle interrogation of the arrestee should
bear accurate, visible and clear identification and name tags with their designation. The
15
1994 SCC 260
16
AIR 1997 SC 610
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particular of all such personnel who handle interrogation of the arrestee must be recorded in
a register.
(ii) That the police officer carrying out the arrest shall prepare a memo of arrest at the time of
arrest and such memo shall be attested by at least one witness, who may be either a member
of the family of the arrestee or a respectable person of the locality from where the arrest is
made. It shall also be counter signed by the arrestee and shall contain the time and date of
arrest.
(iii) A person who has been arrested or detained and is being held in custody in a police station
or interrogation centre or other lock up, shall be entitled to have one friend or relative or other
person known to him or having interest in his welfare being informed, as soon as practicable,
that he has been arrested and is being detained at the particular place, unless the attesting
witness of the memo of arrest is himself such a friend or a relative of the arrestee.
(iv) The time, place of arrest and venue of custody of an arrestee must be notified by the police
where the next friend or relative of the arrestee lives outside the district or town through the
Legal Aids Organization in the District and the police station of the area concerned
telegraphically within a period of 8 to 12 hours after the arrest.
(v) The person arrested must be made aware of his right to have someone informed of his arrest
or detention as soon as he is put under arrest or is detained.
(vi) An entry must be made in the diary at the place of detention regarding the arrest of the
person which shall also disclosed the name of the next friend of the person who has been
informed of the arrest and the names land particulars of the police officials in whose custody
the arrestee is.
(vii) The arrestee should, where he so request, be also examines at the time of his arrest and
major and minor injuries, if any present on his /her body, must be recorded at that time. The
Inspector Memo' must be signed both by the arrestee and the police officer effecting the arrest
and its copy provided to the arrestee.
(viii) The arrestee should be subjected to medical examination by the trained doctor every 48
hours during his detention In custody by a doctor on the panel of approved doctor appointed
by Director, Health Services of the concerned State or Union Territory, Director, Health
Services should prepare such a panel for all Tehsils and Districts as well.
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(ix) Copies of all the documents including the memo of arrest, referred to above, should be sent
to the Magistrate for his record.
(x) The arrestee may be permitted to meet his lawyer during interrogation, though not
throughout the interrogation.
(xi) A police control room should be provided at all district and State headquarters where
information regarding the arrest and the place of custody of the arrestee shall be
communicated by the officer causing the arrest, within 12 hours of effecting the arrest and at
the police control room it should be displayed on a conspicuous notice board.
One of the major issues in the criminal justice procedure is that of identification of the
accused. Only after a right identification, the next procedure can be follow. In many cases, the
accused earned acquittal because their identification was not free from doubt.
The Rajasthan High Court in State of Rajasthan v. Ranjida17 ,has set a sound precedent in
this regard. Holding of test identification parade is all the more necessary where the name of
the offender is not mentioned by those who claimed to be an eye witnesses of the incident but
claim to be not able to recall the features in sufficient detail.
The Supreme Court in the case of Ramanathan v. State of Tamil Nadu18, has observed that,
17
AIR 1962 Raj. 78
18
AIR 1979 SC 1204
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Women in custody are particularly vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse. Under section 376
(2) of Indian Penal Code, 1860 custodial rape is punishable by a minimum of 10 years rigorous
imprisonment. Under Section 51(2) of the Cr.P.C., it is the duty of officer in-charge of police
station to ensure that women are not harmed and searches of their persons are carried out only
by women with strict regard of decency.
The Supreme Court in the case of Sheela Barse v. State of Maharasthra19 has given following
directives regarding the safety and security of women in police lockup:-
(a) Female suspects must be kept in separate lockups under the supervision of female constable.
(b) Interrogation of females must be carried out in the presence of female police persons.
c.) Handcuffing
Under Article 14,19 and 21of the Constitution of India, use of handcuffs and fetters on
prisoners violates the guarantees of basic human dignity and this has been stated by the
Supreme Court in Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration20,but still the handcuffs can be used
by the police and Supreme Court has laid down following directives regarding it: -
a. involved in a serious non-bailable offence and has been previously convicted of a crime and
/or
ii. The reason why handcuffs have been used, must be clearly mentioned in the daily diary
report. They must also be shown to the court.
iii. Once an arrested person is produced before the court, the escorting officer must take the
courts permission before handcuffing her/him to and fro from the court to the place of custody.
19
1983 SCC 96
20
1978 SCC 494
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iv. The Magistrate before whom an arrested person is produced must inquire whether handcuffs
or fetters have been used. If the answer is yes, the officer concerned must give an explanation21.
The Supreme Court has also stated that the violation of court directives, regarding handcuffing
by a police officer or any member of the jail establishment is punishable under Contempt of
Court Act 1971.
In Sunil Batra Case22, the Supreme Court has also made certain observations regarding the
use of bar fetters which are as follows:
vi. There should be a daily review of the absolute need for bar fetters; and
vii. Finally, if it is found that the fetters must continue beyond say (certain time) it would be
illegal unless an outside agency like the district magistrate or sessions judges directs its
continuance.
In the case of Prem Shankar Shukla v. Delhi Administration23, the Supreme Court found
the practice of using handcuffs and fetters on prisoners violating the guarantee of basic human
dignity, which is part of the constitutional culture in India and thus not standing the test of
equality before law (Article 14), fundamental freedoms (Article 19) and the right to life and
personal liberty (Article 21).
It observed that to bind a man hand and foot fetter his limbs with hoops of steel; shuffle him
along in the streets, and to stand him for hours in the courts, is to torture him, defile his dignity,
vulgarise society, and foul the soul of our constitutional culture. Strongly denouncing
handcuffing of prisoners as a matter of routine, the Supreme Court said that to manacle a man
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is more than to mortify him, it is to dehumanize him, and therefore to violate his
personhood..
Under Article 22(5) of the Constitution of India, there are provisions for preventive detention
under special preventive detention law. Under the same Article, the provisions are made that
the arrested person should, as soon as possible, be communicated the grounds of detention and
he/she should be given the earliest opportunity to make a representation against the detention.
In the Supreme Court in the case of Icchu Devi Choraria v. Union of India24, declared that
personal liberty is a most precious possession and that life without it would not be worth living.
Terming it as its duty to uphold the right to personal liberty, the court condemned detention of
suspects without trial observing that the power of preventive detention is a draconian power,
justified only in the interest of public security and order and it is tolerated in a free society only
as a necessary evil.
i. The detained person must be supplied copies of the documents, statements and other
materials on the basis of which she/he is being detained, without delay.
ii. The authorities who have detained a person must consider the representation of the detained
person against the detention as soon as possible.
iii. The burden of proving that the detention is in accordance with the procedure established
by law lies on the detaining authority.
Bail is another important aspect regarding the arrested person. The provisions regarding it are
contained in Chapter XXXIII of Cr.P.C, from Section 436 to 450. Under Section 2(A) of the
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Cr.P.C., an offence is bailable if it is included in the first schedule. Under section 436(1) of the
Cr.P.C., the police is duty bound to release the arrested person if he/she is willing to give bail.
Under Section 440(1) of the Cr.P.C., the amount of bail bond shall be fixed with due regard to
the circumstances of the case and it shall not be excessive. Under Section 440 (2) of the Cr.P.C.,
the High Court and the Sessions Court are empowered to reduce the bail amount fixed by the
police or the magistrate.
But, as Supreme Court has made an observation in Hussainara Khatoon and others v. Home
Secretary of State of Bihar25, that even after the re-enactment in 1974, the Cr.P.C. continues
to require people to be released on personal bond who pledge a certain amount of money, as
far too many people spend time in prison simply because the bail amount is too high and they
are unable to arrange for the money.
The Supreme Court has observed that it is a traversity of justice that certain persons end up
spending extended time in custody, not because they are guilty but because the courts are too
busy to try them, and they as the accused, are too poor to afford bail. Poor people find it
difficult to arrange for bail because quite often, the bail amount fixed by the Magistrate or the
police is unrealistically excessive.
In this context, the Supreme Court in the above stated case has made following directives
regarding bails and bonds:-
(i). If the accused have the roots in the community, that would deter them from fleeing. They
may be released on bail by furnishing a personal bond without sureties. The following facts
may be taken into account in this regard: -
a) the length of residence of the accused in the community
b) the employment status and history of the accused
c) family ties and relationships of the accused
d) the reputation, character and monetary condition of the accused
e) any prior criminal record including record of prior release on bail
f) the existence of responsible persons in the community who can vouch for the reliability of
the accused
g) the nature of the offence that the accused is charged with; probability of conviction; and
likely sentence insofar as these are relevant to the risk of non-appearance of the accused
25
AIR 1979 SC 1360
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(ii). The bond amount should not be based merely on the nature of the charge but should be
fixed keeping in mind the individual financial circumstances of the accused.
Custodial violence has become a major problem as far as the functioning of the police is
concerned. It has brought a bad name to the police and the legal arrangements regarding it
should also be studied before studying other aspects of this problem. In D.K. Basu v. State of
Bengal26, the Supreme Court has made certain observations regarding custodial violence. The
court agreed that the police has a legitimate right to arrest a criminal and to interrogate him
/her in the course of investigation. However, the law does not permit the use of third degree
method or torture on an accused person. Torture for extracting any kind of confession would
neither be right nor just nor fair.
The Supreme Court further expounded that, Custodial torture is a naked violation of human
dignity. The right to life guaranteed under the Constitution also includes the right to live with
human dignity. Thus, those who violate this fundamental right should be prosecuted by the
State.
The Apex Court also observed that in such instances, arrests are either disguised by not
recording them or showing detention as prolonged interrogation. The court stressed that no
matter what the circumstances, the State or its agents are not allowed to assault or torture
people.
In this regard the Supreme Court in the above case, laid down guidelines including Use of
third degree methods or any form of torture to extract information is not permitted as discussed
under Arrest, to be circulated to the Director Generals of Police and the Home Secretary of
every State and Union territory and stressed that it shall be their obligations to put these
guidelines up in every police station at a conspicuous place.
The Supreme Court has also stated that failure to comply with these guidelines will not only
render an officer, liable for punishment through departmental action but it also amounts to
contempt of court. As far as custodial violence against women is concerned, the Supreme
Court has also given directives regarding it27.
26
AIR 1997 SCC 610
27
Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra, 1983 SCC 96.
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Witness means any person, who possesses information or document about any crime
regarded by the competent authority as being material to any Criminal proceedings and who
has made a statement, or who has given or agreed to give evidence in relation to such
proceedings;
The Supreme Court in Zahira Habibulla H. Sheikh and Another v. State of Gujarat and
Others28 came down heavily on the State administration in general and the investigating
agency in particular for rashly and negligently handling their duties and abdicating their
responsibilities. The categorical finding is that the whole machinery of a State failed in
maintaining the confidence of public in the justice delivery system. Apex Court in strong words
reminded the trial Courts to be alive to the reality about the witness hostility. One of the
predominant points taken note of by the Honble Supreme Court is the lack of witness
protection in our country. The Apex Courts in the above case laid down that,
If the witness himself is incapacitated from acting as eyes and ears of justice,
the trial gets putrefied and paralysed and it no longer can constitute a fair
trial. The incapacitation may be due to several factors like the witness being
not in a position for reasons beyond control, to speak the truth in the court or
due to negligence or ignorance or some corrupt collusion. Time has become
ripe to act on account of numerous experiences faced by the court on account
of frequent turning of witnesses as hostile, either due to threats, coercion,
lures and monetary considerations at the instance of those in power, their
henchmen and hirelings, political clouts and patronage and innumerable
other corrupt practices ingeniously adopted to smother and stifle truth and
realities coming out to surface. Broader public and social interest require
that the victims of the crime who are not ordinarily parties to prosecution and
the interests of State representing by their presenting agencies do not suffer
(p.395) there comes the need for protecting the witnesses. Time has come
when serious and undiluted thoughts are to be bestowed for protecting
witnesses so that ultimate truth presented before the Court and justice
triumphs and that the trial is not reduced to mockery. The State has a definite
role to play in protecting the witnesses, to start with at least in sensitive cases
involving those in power, who have political patronage and could wield
muscle and money power. As a protector of its citizens, it has to ensure that
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during trial in court, the witness could safely depose truth without any fear of
being haunted by those against whom he has deposed.
The Delhi High Court, in Manu Sharma v. Union of India, asked the government to frame a
policy for protection of witnesses, depending on the sensitivity of the case and threat perception.
In pursuance of a 2013 Delhi High Court order passed by a DB headed by HMJ S. Ravinder
Bhatt that the original Draft was prepared and presented by Surinder S Rathi, Addl District &
Sessions Judge/OSD, DSLSA before it was approved by a High Powered Committee consisting
of Principal Secretary Law, Principal Secretary Home, Secretary Finance, Director of
Prosecutions, GNCTD, Commissioner Delhi Police and OSD, DSLSA. Delhi became the first
state in the country to announce a scheme for witness protection as the state government
notified The Delhi Witness Protection Scheme,2015.
Under the Scheme, different types of protection measures have been provided which are
as follows:
The witness protection measures ordered shall be proportional to the threat and for limited
duration. They may include:
(a) Ensuring that witness and accused do not come face to face during investigation or
trial;
(c) Arrangement with telephone company to change witnesses telephone numbers or assign
him or her an unlisted telephone number;
(e) Concealment of identity of the witness by referring to him/her with the changed name
or alphabet;
(g) Close protection of witnesses house and regular patrolling of his house.
(i) Escort to and from the court and provision of Government vehicle or a State funded
conveyance for the date of hearing;
(j) Holding of in-camera trials;
(k) Allowing a support person to remain present during recording of statement and
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deposition;
(l) Usage of specially designed vulnerable witness court rooms which have special
arrangements like live links, one way mirrors and screens apart from separate passages
for witnesses and accused, with option to modify the audio feed of witnesses voice so
he/she is not identifiable.
(m) Ensuring expeditious recording of deposition during trial on day to day basis without
adjournments;
(n) Awarding time to time periodical financial aids/grants to the witness from Witness
Protection Fund for the purpose of re-location, sustenance or starting new
vocation/profession, if desired;
(o) Any other form of protection measures considered necessary, and specifically, those
requested by the witness.
They need to be assured that they will receive support and protection from intimidation and the
harm that criminal groups may seek to inflict upon them in attempts to discourage or punish
them from co-operating. Hence, legislative measures to emphasize prohibition against
tampering of witnesses have become the imminent and inevitable need of the day. Even Law
Commission of India has recommended that witnesses should be protected from the wrath of
the accused in any eventuality.
In case, Budhdev Kamaskar Vs Govt. of West Bengal29 in, while dealing with a case of a
rescued Sex Worker it was directed a project be started on pilot basis in Delhi for Rehabilitation
and Assurance of Dignity of the trafficked Sex Worker covering issues of Trafficking,
rehabilitation and assurance of dignity of the Sex Workers as Citizens.
In case, Court on its Own Motion Vs. Department of Women and Child Development,
Govt. Of NCT of Delhi 30, DB of Delhi High Court found that Police is passing of and arresting
29
W.P.(Crl.) No. 135/2010
30
W.P. (C) No. 8889/11
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Juveniles as Adults and sending them to Adult Prisons. Directions were issued to DSLSA &
NCPCR to conduct inspections in all the jails in order to identify suspected Juveniles who
might have been lodged in Adult Jails. Juveniles were rescued and produced before Juvenile
Justice Boards.
In case, Sampurna Behura Vs Union of India & Ors31, Honble Supreme Court ruled that
State Legal Services Authorities headed by Judicial Officers shall Train JWOs and CWC
Members.
CONCLUSION:
The primary responsibility of Police is to protect life, liberty and property of citizens. It is for
the protection of these rights that Criminal Justice System has been constituted assigning
important responsibility to the Police. They have various duties to perform, the most important
among them being maintenance of Law and order and investigation of offences. The police are
charged with the responsibility of protecting precious Human Rights of the citizens. Whenever
there is invasion or threat of invasion of ones human rights it is to the police that the citizen
rushes for help. Unfortunately the contribution of the police in this behalf is not realized and
only the aberrations of the police are noticed, highlighted and criticized. The aberrations must
be corrected and the police respected for the difficult role they play even at the cost of their
lives in the process of protecting the rights of the citizens.
31
W.P. (C) No. 473/2005
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