The Chief Justice of India, NV Ramana remarked the threat to human rights and bodily integrity to the highest in police stations. while raising concerns over the number of custodial deaths, on Sunday. The Legal Services App was launched at the Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi, which is aimed to help the poor and needy people in applying for legal aid and seek victim compensation. Speaking at the launch, the Chief Justice of India, NV Ramana lamented that people detained at police stations suffer in the absence of effective legal representation.
Concerned about the third-degree torture allegedly inflicted by the police, he called upon the National Legal Services Authority to take upon a nationwide sensitization of police officers. Constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, the NALSA provides free legal services to the weaker sections of society besides organizing Lok Adalats. The CJI emphasized on the installation of display boards and outdoor hoardings in every police station is necessary to educate people about the constitutional right to legal aid.
CJI NV Ramana said, “The threat to human rights and bodily integrity are the highest in police stations. Custodial torture and other police atrocities are problems which still prevail in our society. Inspite of constitutional declarations and guarantees, lack of effective legal representation at the police stations is a huge detriment to arrested or detained persons. The decisions taken in these early hours will later determine the ability of the accused to defend himself. Going by the recent reports, even the privileged are not spared third-degree treatment.”
Read| https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-on-way-to-become-a-police-state/
Situation of Custodial deaths in India
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 100 persons died in police custody in the year 2020-21, marking a slight reduction from 136 in 2018-19 and 112 in 2019-20. However, deaths in judicial custody stand at 1,840 in 2020-21 in comparison to 1,797 in 2018-19 and 1584 in 2019-20.
The data was revealed by Union MoS Nityanand Rai during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament in a response to an unstarred question by Lok Sabha MPs PP Chaudhary, Arjun Lal Meena, Aparajita Sarangi and Ranjeet Nimbalkar, which included the figures of total number of cases registered in respect of custodial deaths (Police and Judicial) in last three years.
