Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Dwivedi today exhorted Officers in-Charge and Investigating Officers from police stations of Ranchi to utilise forensic science to the fullest and rely more on scientific evidences to improve the low conviction rates recorded in several cases.
“Scientific evidence is infallible way to guaranteed conviction in present times. Say fingerprints of an accused are found at the crime scene then there is no scope for contradicting his involvement in the crime. You (Investigating Officers) should gather as much scientific evidence as possible,” Dwivedi said while addressing his subordinates during a seminar on Wednesday.
Convened on orders from Supreme Court of India, the seminar was focussed on skill development of police officials of the city and tutoring them on regulations of preparing a flawless charge sheet with the sole motive of ensuring conviction.
Underlining the low conviction rates, City SP Kishore Kaushal stated that only 25 per cent of cases reach conviction in Jharkhand against the national record of 40 per cent, and is even lower in grievous cases.
“Much effort is put into apprehending culprits but the end result is not up to the mark. lacunae, lack of skills or awareness or wrong intentions can be the reason behind this but this poses a great concern,” said the SSP, adding, “Investigation should move from subjectivity to objectivity, it should be more factual. IOs should use available forensic experts and laboratories to the fullest.”
He also stated, “Digital evidence is being widely used nowadays and it is often the only circumstantial evidence at hand. Certificates authorising the digital evidence should be procured from service providers before producing it in court. The format for this will be provided to all police officials soon.”
Discussing the importance of case diary in forming an effective charge sheet and investigation, Dwivedi pointed out the common mistakes made by IOs while writing case diaries and how to rectify them.
“Officials should avoid faulty case diaries. Mistakes have been made which cannot be ignored anymore. Statements of only relevant witnesses should be put into case diaries, along with detailed map of the crime scene. Incidents and evidences should be arranged in accurate chronological order,” Dwivedi said.
A Special Task Force will also be formed to manage interactions with courts and keep daily updates on court proceedings pertaining to police department, said Dwivedi. Warrants, summons, attachment notices and trial details will be sent to police station through CCTNS and monitored for compliance, he added.
“In interface with courts, IOs should discuss the sequence of witnesses with Public Prosecutor and Assistant Public Prosecutor. IOs should be placed at the end of this line to verify the omissions and contradictions,” Said Dwivedi.