Hyderabad: In one of the very few bright points of the dull year that went by, the Rachakonda Police were able to secure convictions in over 60 cases from February. In these, 94 persons were convicted in cases ranging from rape and murder to theft.
Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said to improve the quality of investigation for securing convictions, they had developed an effective system of monitoring, brainstorming sessions apart from conducting classes by court duty officers in all police stations to get more convictions with the help of public prosecutors.
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The conviction rate in Rachakonda increased by around 51 per cent in 2020 with courts sentencing 94 persons found guilty of various offences for jail terms ranging between one year and 20 years. Among them, convictions were secured for life imprisonment in eight cases while one case saw a 20 years rigourous imprisonment (RI) sentence. Likewise, convictions were secured in other cases including eight years RI in one case, seven years RI in four cases, five years RI in two cases and three years RI in 11 cases, to mention a few.
“All officers have been putting out their best efforts in securing these convictions which included the life imprisonment in the Hajipur rape and murder cases in the first week of February. We will not stop here and aim to get more convictions,” Bhagwat said.
He said criminals think that they will never get caught; even if they get caught they think that they will not get convicted and even if they get convicted, they think that they will get less punishment.
“Every criminal should be punished based on his criminal activities. The system should not be criminal justice system but victim justice system. Speedy trials through fast track courts, pursuance by officers of all ranks are helping in getting convictions early,” Bhagwat said.
It is to be noted that the Commissioner himself had attended trial at the Nalgonda district court four times in the sensational Hajipur case when crucial witnesses were examined. Officials said that if criminals are left without being convicted for their crimes, there was a possibility of the victim trying to take revenge. If the criminal was found guilty, he or she would be socially isolated from others.
“So, criminals need to be rehabilitated. Certainty of the punishment is important along with severity. Victim expects instant justice but it is not possible. One major problem with getting convictions early is victim turning hostile,” a senior official said.
In the last few years, judiciary has been trying to help the police in ensuring more convictions in the cases with strong and valid evidences.
“We should try hard and the convictions will come in a flow,” an official said.
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