Concerns mount over poor conviction rates in SC/ST atrocity cases

Expressing interest implicit mediocre condemnation rates successful cases registered nether the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act successful Mangaluru City and Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti State Organisation Convenor M. Devadas said connected Sunday (October 26) that constabulary should measurement up efforts to amended condemnation rates and instil fearfulness among violators.

Speaking astatine the monthly SC/ST grievances redressal gathering astatine the bureau of the Mangaluru Police Commissioner, Mr. Devadas said that arsenic per the accusation provided nether the Right to Information Act, of 151 cases registered successful the metropolis betwixt 2015 and 2025, lone 7 cases ended successful conviction.

Similarly, of the 140 cases registered successful antithetic constabulary stations successful Dakshina Kannada during the aforesaid period, accused successful lone 5 cases were convicted. “This is simply a mediocre condemnation rate. The accused seems to person nary fearfulness of violations. The constabulary needs to measurement up efforts to amended the condemnation rate,” Mr. Devadas underscored.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) K. Ravi Shankar said officials with the fertile of Assistant Commissioner of Police analyse cases nether the SC/ST Act. Among the reasons for acquittal see complainants and witnesses turning hostile during lawsuit trials successful court. “We are making our unit much alert astir the Act. We request enactment from radical successful ensuring conviction,” Mr. Shankar said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) H.N. Mithun, who chaired the meeting, said that with the State authorities granting constabulary presumption presumption to Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) Cell, each cases nether the SC/ST Act, aft their registration successful constabulary stations, are transferred to the territory portion of DCRE Cell for investigation. Cases nether the SC/ST Act and different crimes are being intimately monitored by the constabulary successful courts to guarantee conviction.

Mr. Mithun stated that henceforth, metropolis constabulary volition clasp a ineligible consciousness programme for Dalit activits erstwhile a month. Superintendent of Police, DCRE Cell, C.A. Simon, and the nationalist authoritative successful the peculiar tribunal of SC/ST cases, volition beryllium called to the the aforesaid programme.

Activist Girish expressed the request for the territory medication to hole rates to marque laterite stones and soil disposable to radical astatine affordable prices. When different activistic sought the displacement of the District DCRE Cell bureau from Urwa, an serviceman from the Cell said that the Cell has asked for a abstraction connected the 2nd level of the territory bureau complex, Praja Soudha, successful Padil.