Insincere police officer is  a disgrace to the force: HC on Walayar case

Says the cops investigating heinous crimes should be scrupulously honest and committed to duties
File picture of the protest expressing solidarity with the deceased girls in Walayar
File picture of the protest expressing solidarity with the deceased girls in Walayar

KOCHI: Coming down heavily on the Kerala police over the faulty investigation in the Walayar sexual assault case, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that an incompetent and insincere police officer is a disgrace to the entire police force. It is high time the political class and the bureaucratic executive understood that inexcusable flaws in the investigation into serious offences will only bring disrepute to the administrative setup, the court said.

HC observed the police officers investigating heinous crimes should be scrupulously honest and committed to their duties and responsibilities. “Level of integrity and capability expected of the police officers investigating offences against women and children, especially those under the POCSO Act, are very high. They should get proper legal training to understand the nuances of the law. Besides, they should properly instruct to gather scientific evidence in such cases.

More importantly, they should be sensitive to the emotions and sentiments of the victims, their family and society at large while investigating such grave crimes,” the Division Bench comprising Justice A Hariprasad and Justice M R Anitha observed. The initial part of the probe was utterly disgusting, the court said.  “Despite a reasonably good job by the DySP, the investigating officer, who was deputed to investigate these cases almost a week after the younger girl’s death, he could not gather any proper scientific evidence. Materials on record clearly indicate that the poor girls were living in an unsafe family environment. The court can visualise the predicament in which the unfortunate children could have been placed: whom to trust?” HC said.

The court added that it is high time the state government took serious steps to educate and sensitise station house officers to deal with such cases when they are reported directly to them. “Initial flaws may destabilise the whole case. It is a common experience that victims may most likely approach them at the first instance,” the court said. The Bench also flayed the trial judge and observed that he failed to perform a proactive role at the time of taking evidence. The then Sub Inspector of Walayar police station, who took over the investigation on January 14, 2017, also earned the HC’s wrath. At the time of the hearing, the prosecutors had submitted that if the SI had shown due diligence, at least the death of the second child could have been averted. 

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