High acquittal & poor conviction rates in Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In a disturbing development, the Assam Police has failed to produce watertight charge sheets against criminals before various Courts in the recent years, and this has resulted in low conviction and high acquittal rates.

In the last five years, the acquittal rate of criminals is 89.58% as against the conviction rate of just 8.3%. According to official statistics, the acquittal rate was 88.3% as against 1.07 lakh cases investigated and charge-sheeted by the police in 2016 followed by 87% acquittal as against 1.09 lakh cases in 2017, 92.3% against 1.20 lakh cases in 2018, 86.8% as against 1.32 lakh cases in 2019 and 93.2% as against 1.21 lakh cases in 2020.

Legal experts have attributed poorly drafted charge sheets sans substantial materials of evidence to dismal conviction rate and high acquittal of criminals before the Court of laws.

"Lack of suitable infrastructures and facilities has failed the Assam Police to conduct investigations in a scientific manner. The police also fail to produce materials sought by the Court during the hearing of cases," saidthe legal expert.

Apart from the lacunae in technical and scientific aspects of investigation, the Assam Police personnel are overburdened. For instance, an SI has to carry out several functions like law and order; duties with VIPs; and also investigation of cases. Besides in instances more than one, those SIs carrying out investigations are suddenly engaged in the maintenance of law and order as well as duties related to VIPs. Such a development poses distractions in the effective and fair investigation of cases against criminals and anti-social elements.

Mentionably, more than one lakh cases are still pending in different police stations across the State.

"Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently announced that steps have been initiated to set up four new forensic laboratories with separate wings of investigations in all police stations besides hiring of retired SIs to expedite investigation of pending cases.

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