Police and courts form one continuous chain in administration of justice: CJI Surya Kant

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday said the work of the police and courts forms "one continuous chain" in the administration of justice, stressing that a careful FIR and fair investigation strengthen the possibility of justice being delivered.

Speaking at the launch of former Indian Police Service officer O P Mishra's book, "Beyond the Uniform: Duty, Discretion and Public Trust", the CJI said the judiciary inherits what the police place before it.

"An FIR recorded with care or an investigation conducted with fairness strengthens the possibility of justice being done in court," Justice Kant said.

"Conversely, no court, however conscientious, can fully undo the harm caused when the first steps of the process themselves are compromised," he added.

"The work of the police and the work of the courts form one continuous chain in the administration of justice. The judiciary inherits, quite literally, what the police places before it," the CJI said.

Justice Kant also commended the police for the smooth conduct of the 18th BRICS Summit and praised the efforts behind the scenes, including securing routes and venues, coordinating traffic, protecting places of stay and maintaining vigilance through the night.

He said police duty must mean fidelity not only to the words of the law but also to the purpose for which the law entrusts power to a police officer.

"The authority to investigate, to arrest, to regulate movement and to maintain public order is neither an ornament of office nor an end in itself. It is ultimately a responsibility held on behalf of the people," he said.

The CJI said police work does not begin only after a crime has been committed, a crowd has gathered or an emergency has arisen.

"It begins much earlier: in preparation, in the gathering of information, in coordination between agencies, in anticipating points of vulnerability and in ensuring that the machinery of law is ready before the moment of need arrives," he said.

"Indeed, some of the finest police work is precisely that which prevents a difficult situation from ever becoming a crisis," he added.

Justice Kant also said society must provide police personnel with the conditions necessary to perform their duties with courage, composure and sensitivity.

"Proper training, modern investigative resources, responsible leadership, reasonable working conditions and attention to the physical and emotional well-being of personnel are not concerns separate from citizen-friendly policing, but rather its essential foundations," he said.

Former Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar and Sanjaya Baru, former prime minister Manmohan Singh's adviser, also spoke at the event.