By IANS
New Delhi : Delhi’s new police chief Y.S. Dadwal has threatened strict action against officials who turn hostile at trials, helping the accused to go free in the process.
“No official will be spared and strict disciplinary action will be taken against police officials who turn hostile during trials,” Dadwal warned his staff at his very first meeting with the top brass.
He made it clear that the act of police officials turning hostile was a cause for serious concern.
“All senior officials are directed to initiate departmental action against those found helping the accused during trial,” Dadwal added.
A 1974-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Dadwal replaced K.K. Paul last month. He had earlier served Delhi Police as special commissioner (administration).
Concerned about the low conviction rate in criminal cases probed by Delhi Police, Dadwal is planning a series of actions to strength the existing legal cell – a specialised wing to coordinate with police officers in court related matters.
Delhi Police recently faced widespread criticism over the collapse of a case related to the murder of model Jessica Lal at a restaurant. The court had pulled up senior police officers for shoddy investigations.
Dadwal also directed the cell to assist investigating officers with legal knowledge and proper guidance, a police official who attended the meeting told IANS.
“The directions were to improve the investigating process so that victims do not complain about shoddy or slow investigations. Dadwal has also asked the staff to increase their knowledge of law,” the official added.
Dadwal also plans to set up an Investigations Scrutiny Cell under his supervision.
“This cell will scrutinise the files investigated by the officers. It will ensure speedy and fair investigations,” the official said.
Delhi Police has some 64,000 men and women, including 2,000 officers at the rank of station house officer (SHO) and above.