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‘Ensure protection of witnesses for free, fair prosecution process’
The press note from additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi said the protection of witnesses should be ensured at all costs and the police officials concerned will be held responsible in case of any lapse
The state home department has issued stern directives for proper protection of witnesses in criminal cases to ensure free and fair prosecution process and conviction of criminals, said senior home department officials on Friday.
In a press note issued by the department, additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi said strict enforcement of ‘Sakshi Suraksha Yojana’ (witnesses’ protection scheme) was initiated in 2018 on the directives of the Supreme Court to ensure protection of witnesses.
The press note further said the protection of witnesses should be ensured at any cost and the police officials concerned will be held responsible in case of any lapse in its compliance. It stated all district magistrates, police commissioners and district police chiefs had been issued stern directives in this connection.
It said DMs and zonal level police officials had been asked to do monthly review meeting of witnesses’ protection applications. It said witness protection committees had been constituted under district judges in every district and district magistrates and police chiefs had been included in the committees as members.
A senior police official said district level officials must ensure proper enforcement of witnesses’ protection measures through witness protection cells. Moreover, the protection applications should be disposed of within five working days after analysing security threat. He said it was mandatory to keep the entire proceedings of the committee a secret.
The official said the committee could also decide to relocate the witnesses if they felt threat to witnesses’ life at their present whereabouts or locations after analysing the threat perception. Their new locations and identities should be kept a secret keeping in mind the security measures.
The home department mentioned in the press note that the protection of witnesses was necessary for free and fair trial of criminal cases as there were major chances of witnesses turning hostile if they lived under fear or were threatened by the accused.
The press note said witnesses were eyes and ears of the judicial process and so it was to be ensured that they were not being threatened and proper security cover should be given to them. The home department also asked for proper sensitisation at police station levels about the witnesses’ protection scheme.
