JAIPUR: The conviction rate in cases of serious crime has gone up considerably in Rajasthan after the introduction of the Case Officer Scheme in which a designated police officer monitors each case till it reaches its logical end. The scheme, introduced in September 2004, has speeded up trials, especially of rape cases, and earned some firsts in the country for the Rajasthan police.

Of 3,566 criminal cases taken up under the COS from September 2004 to June 2006, the court has decided 1381 cases (38.70 per cent) so far. The conviction rate has been as high as 74 per cent (1,023) in these cases, while in the normal case it remains around 45 to 50 per cent in Rajasthan.

In all the eight police ranges and the two GRP ranges in the State, the total number of convictions obtained remained higher than acquittals. In Ajmer, Kota, Jaipur I and Udaipur ranges the convictions included death penalty to five. The punishments included 148 life sentences and imprisonment for five to 10 years in 168 cases.

"The scheme has proved very effective in tackling hard-core criminals and professional offenders whose conviction had been difficult in the past due to various reasons," noted M.K.Devarajan, the State's Additional Director-General of Police (HQ).

"The incidents of witnesses turning hostile during the trials and criminals getting bail have been reduced in the State after its introduction," he noted.

"The trial and punishment in rape and molestation cases have created an all-time record in criminal trial history. In two cases of molestation of foreign tourists, conviction took place within 24 hours. In rape cases involving foreign tourists in Jodhpur, Jaipur and recently in Alwar, the trial and punishment took only three weeks," Mr. Devarajan pointed out. Normally a rape case takes three to four years for trial.

The Case Officers selected under the scheme are expected to maintain the records of the proceedings of the case in the court and ensure that the court processes are served/executed in time. They also make sure that the witnesses appear in the court on the designated date without fear and depose. While the identification of the serious cases is done at police station level, the supervisory officers carry out their scrutiny.

"The selection of criminal cases under the scheme is a continuous process. New cases are added as and when the earlier cases are disposed of," Mr. Devarajan added.

Under COS, the exhibits are produced in the courts without delay and a close liaison is maintained between the courts and the prosecutors. Getting early dates helps to speed up trials. Well-documented history of the offender's past is used to challenge his/her bail application. The Case Officers also maintain a dossier of all possible details of the accused including the list of the offender's accomplices and contacts so that effective action could be taken if he/she absconds.

According to the National Crime records Bureau, the total number of cases pending in Rajasthan's trial courts in Rajasthan during 2004 was 469,123 of which 69,769 (14.87 per cent against a national average of 14.5 per cent) were decided till the end. The conviction rate in normal trials has been 51.2 per cent in cases of murder, 33.3 per cent in cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and 27.6 per cent in rape and 43.3 per cent dowry death.

The Case Officer Scheme has been receiving strong support from the judiciary. "This year the High Court issued a formal order directing that the cases selected for COS be put on the fast track for trials," said Mr. Devarajan.

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