FALL IN CONVICTION
RATES OF COGNIZABLE CRIMES
There has been a considerable
fall in conviction rates of cognizable crimes since 1953. The
conviction rates have fallen from 63.9 per cent in 1953 to 41.8
per cent in 2000. In between, there have been rise and fall in
conviction rates. It went up to a maximum of 66.9 per cent during
1966 and thereafter increasing and decreasing between 66.9 per
cent and 61.7 per cent during 1953 and 1966. The conviction rates
remained above 52.5 per cent upto 1981.
The real slide began
in 1982 when the conviction rates fell down to 51.9 per cent and
continued to decrease upto 37.4 per cent in 1998. It went up slightly
to 39.6 per cent in 1999 and again to 41.8 per cent in 2000, figures
for which are available with the Government.
The drastic fall in conviction
rates of cognizable crimes in the courts of law since 1953 is
attributed to poor investigation by the police, extracting confession
of accused under duress and witnesses turning hostile.
With the Justice V.S.
Malimath Committee on Criminal Laws Reforms, which is seized of
revamping all aspects of criminal jurisprudence, to submit its
report to the Government shortly, immediately thereafter, the
Government will examine it and take further steps for amending
criminal laws to ensure that witnesses do not turn hostile and
there is a significant improvement in streamlining the investigation
procedure so that the cases relating to cognizable offences stand
the scrutiny of the law of evidence and the conviction rates,
consequently, go up. The Law Commission of India has also forwarded
several reports on revamping criminal justice delivery system.
These reports will also be considered by the Government while
moving a Bill to this effect in the Parliament. Thereafter, the
criminal justice delivery system is expected to be streamlined
and conviction rates would go up.
