HYDERABAD: A 30-year-old habitual offender, Kiran (name changed) was arrested in connection with a jewellery theft case and brought to the Cherlapally jail. Upon admission, the jailer concerned questioned the prisoner and it emerged that the offence had not been committed as Kiran claimed to have no connection with the case. The jailer further conducted a preliminary inquiry and forwarded the outcome to the arresting police station SHO. Within days of his arrest, it was found that Kiran had tethered links with the incident and he was released without a case being filed.
Kiran’s story is one among the many stories of falsely implicated cases reported last year. Prison Superintendent, M.R. Bhasker said, “Upon admission, all prisoners have been asked a series of questions to gauge if any of them are implicated incorrectly. The jailer concerned goes through the case, and if it holds any merit, forwards the same to the Welfare Officer who additionally conducts an in-depth analysis involving all aspects of the arrest including the type of evidence procured. If there is circumstantial evidence or any gaps in the case files, a letter is sent to the SHO of the case concerned to gain a response documenting the grounds of arrest. Further correspondence ensues to ensure that the claim of false implication is thoroughly investigated and the prisoner is released on bail if there are any discrepancies”.
Nearly 302 falsely implicated cases were reported by the Telangana State Prisons’ department in 2017. In the light of such cases, prison authorities have taken initiatives within the prisons to minimise such incidents by conducting this cursory questioning upon admission to the jails. With the new initiative, director general of Prisons, V.K. Singh said, “This forms a deterrent to arresting officers to ensure complete accountability for all admissions. Such an initiative takes into consideration prisoners grievances as well.”
This initiative has lead to a gradual decrease in the number of falsely implicated cases, as it proves to be a minor road block in the process of arrest and imprisonment. In 2018, a inquiry into the prison’s initiative revealed that, 155 falsely implicated cases were recognised and dissolved with the help of the local law enforcement agencies. Statistics show an increase in the rate of accountability and deterrence that is being achieved by the prison authorities.
In response south zone DCP Satyanarayana IPS said, “All false cases are closed once an investigation is completed. Not often, however there are some instances wherein, the accused have been remanded, and evidence is sent for forensic analysis. The results if negative results in the cases being closed immediately”.
