P S Ramamohan Rao, IPS(Retd), former Governor of Tamil Nadu & Former Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, Delivered the Prof S Venugopal Rao Memorial 5th Oration
Sri P S Ramamohan Rao, IPS(Retd), former Governor of Tamil Nadu & Former Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, Delivered the Prof S Venugopal Rao Memorial 5th Oration endowed by Prof S Venugopal Rao Memorial Charitable Trust on “State of Criminal Justice in India: Some Reflections”
The event took place on September 23, 2024, Monday at the Bella Vista Campus of Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) organized by ASCI.
Dr N Ramesh Kumar, DG of ASCI Welcomed and Introduced the Speaker and Opening Remarks provided by Sri K Padmanabhaiah, IAS (Retd), Chairman, Court of Governors, Administrative Staff College of India. Sri Padmanabhaiah in his remarks stated that Sri Venugopal Rao was a Research Oriented Policeman.
He stated that the criminal justice system is a vast framework comprising various components, such as the trial process and prosecution. Since policing is a state subject, how to generalize it remains a significant question. Sri Padmanabhaiah mentioned that the police forces of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have introduced artificial intelligence, automatic challans, and surveillance cameras, but forensic science has not been given the same level of attention.
Sri Ramamohan Rao’s address at the Prof. S. Venugopal Rao Memorial Oration examined the various stages of the criminal justice system. He stated that the criminal justice system in India is in a dire state. As on August 2024, there are 58.4 million cases pending in various courts, combining both civil and criminal cases. This figure indicates that 80% of the cases are criminal, with over 100,000 cases pending in appellate courts. Only 60% of cases are resolved each year, while the remaining 40% carry over to the next year, leading to an increasing backlog of pending cases.
He addressed the ground realities of the cases and identified three to four facets of the criminal justice system: 1) Management of Cases 2) Natural Procedure of Trial 3)Systemic Biases.
He provided a couple of examples from the criminal justice system in India, highlighting the pitfalls of the Criminal Procedure Code. He noted that systemic bias is often unappreciated by police officers. He mentioned that in cases of acquittal, there is little scrutiny, whereas convictions face extensive examination. According to him, there have not been significant changes in the recently passed laws of BNS, BNSS, and BSA; they primarily involve name changes and adjustments to section numbers.
The event featured a diverse and distinguished audience in attendance. Sri Padmanabhaiah, Chairman of ASCI, presented a memento to the guest speaker. Sri Gautam Surath, a member of the Prof. S. Venugopal Rao Memorial Charitable Trust, offered the vote of thanks.