In response to “Framed, Damned, Acquitted -- Dossiers of a Very Special Cell”, a report released by Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association on Tuesday, the Delhi Police have claimed that “six cases out of 16 referred to in the compilation have actually ended in conviction, while one case is still pending trial”.
The police said in one case, FIR No.146/2005, PS Kapashera, Delhi, the matter has not been investigated by the Special Cell at all. “Of the eight cases which ended in acquittal, in five cases our appeals are pending against the order of the trial court before the High Court of Delhi,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajan Bhagat said.
To put the entire issue in perspective, the Delhi Police said: “182 terrorists’ related cases have been registered and investigated by the Special Cell since 1992. Of them, 133 cases have been decided by the courts. The conviction rate in these cases is 68 per cent, while 24.8 per cent cases have ended in acquittal. The remaining 10 cases have either ended in cancellation or sent as untraced. Of these 10 cases, three have been cancelled and accused discharged which goes to show that the Special Cell does not frame people unnecessarily.”
Further, the Delhi Police said claimed that “the conviction rate of 68 per cent indicates that the quality of investigation has been done with professionalism”.
Noting that the “job of an investigating agency is to investigate cases, collect evidence and present it before courts of law for evaluation,” the Delhi Police statement said “during the trial, specially in terror related cases, the judicial scrutiny is of a considerably stringent level, and rightly so. Guilt must be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Also, there are very few public witnesses who come forward to depose before the court for fear of reprisal later. Therefore, if a case ends in acquittal, the blame is not only at the doorstep of the investigating agency.”
It said: “What has also been lost sight of is the successful investigation and conviction of many high profile cases, such as Parliament House attack case, Red Fort shoot out case, Satyam and Liberty cinema blasts cases etc. by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.’’
Meanwhile, High Court advocate M. Sufian Siddiqui on Wednesday pointed out that in the matter of Irshad Ali and Maurif Quamar, the claim regarding the case having been dismissed by the Supreme Court was wrong as the matter was heard and judgment is reserved.
“I have been appearing in the Supreme Court in the said matter from day one and as per the record, the Court has just concluded the hearing of the arguments from both the sides and has reserved the judgment and the same is expected anytime soon,”
