Team Herald
PANJIM: When it comes to convictions, Goa stands a distant sixth lowest among the States across the country with a conviction rate of 19.8 per cent.
Gujarat’s conviction rate stands at 21.1 per cent followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 16.7 per cent.
Public Prosecutors attribute the State’s low conviction to lack of indepth and scientific investigation. In addition to this, the pendency of cases waiting for trial is well above 90 per cent.
A break-up of the nature of cases and the statistics reveals a disturbing trend as far as pendency and conviction are concerned. The conviction rate in crimes against women in the State is 21 per cent below the national average of 26.6 per cent. However, the pendency of such cases is 95.3 per cent.
With regards to crimes against children, the conviction rate of cases in Goa is 13.8 per cent, which is worrisome as it is 19.8 per cent below national average. The pendency of cases has peaked to 96.1 per cent.
Conviction in Anti-Corruption, Vigilance and Lokayukta cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Related Sections of IPC too is below average.
The conviction rate in IPC crimes stands at 19.8 per cent when compared to the national average of 57.0 per cent. This is 37.2 per cent lower. There are almost 15,061 cases pending before various courts across the State.
The conviction rate in criminal cases under SLL (Special Local Laws) which include Motor Vehicle Act, Gambling Act, Food Safety Act and several others is 69.8 per cent which is lower than the national average of 78.7 per cent.
Special Public Prosecutor Siddharth Samant says, “When the investigation is weak, you cannot expect conviction.”
“For past 50 to 70 years we have been undertaking investigations by police, which will not help any more. The investigation conducted by the police and the job training needed for investigation is very weak. As far as police stations in Goa are concerned, most crimes are against women and narcotics cases. Our job as prosecution begins after the chargesheet is filed, which is after investigation is complete and evidence is put on record. Most end up in acquittals due to lack of evidence," he said.
“Take for example NDPS cases. Most cases are dismissed as the investigators don't follow the very procedure mandated in attachment of the seized drugs and psychotropic substances," Samant said.
The Director of National Forensic Science University (NFSU) Goa Campus Naveen Chaudhary said, “The evidence collected from the crime scene is the most important factor for securing a conviction in the court of law.”
“Effective Crime Scene Management, effective forensic investigation capabilities, sophisticated tools and technology, training of law enforcement agencies for use of tools and technologies are some of the solutions to securing conviction in criminal cases,” he suggested.
Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh said, “As a consequence of the low conviction rate we have started a training of all the investigation officers, PSIs and PIs. The training is a holistic approach towards making investigation good enough to take case to conviction.”
When asked why many cases don't reach conviction, DGP Singh said, “There are several factors and one of them is several accused are from places beyond Goa. There are issues in serving summons and getting the accused arrested.”