Assam's conviction rate shows a bleak picture, lags behind the national average

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• Nov 22, 2021 | moderator

Guwahati: Conviction rate in Assam showed a sad picture as it lags behind the national average. The national average conviction rate is counted as 14.35%. However, Assam showed a merely 1.53% conviction rate.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 2020 data, Assam recorded only 1.53% compared to 14.35% of the national conviction rate average.

As per the NCRB report, 133,641 individuals were held in Assam for IPC crimes in 2020. Out of these, charge sheets were filed against 61,668. However, merely 949 got convicted. Courts acquitted 15,919 of those arrested, and 208 were discharged.

A former DGP of the state said, "One prime cause for this is incorrect and inconclusive inquiry. There's also a lot of stress on policemen who, besides doing the investigation, are accountable for maintaining law and order and other services."

"Slow trial activity is another factor as sometimes spectators withdraw from their primal comments. They also become hostile after a few months or years. Lawyers associated in prosecution should be more professional. There should be a control in filing several cases for one incident," he added.

The conviction rate for crimes under special and local laws (SLL) in Assam is likewise very low. While the all-India rate reached 34.16%, in Assam, the conviction rate for special and local laws (SLL) crimes in 2020 was simply 1.36%, stated the NCRB report.

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Last year, a total of 12,482 individuals were detained under SLL in the state. Charge sheets were registered upon 5,564 of them. Only 76 of them ended up getting convicted. The courts acquitted the accused in 1,128 cases and discharged one.

A well-known layer Nekibur Zaman made his remarks stating, "The total strength of Assam police is very low. There is no distinction between inquiry, law and order and protection services. The same policeman does all of these duties, ending in an irregular investigation. There's a problem with infrastructure as well."

“The state doesn’t have a completely outfitted forensic sciences laboratory. There is likewise a need for proper instruction for police officers to lead a scientific investigation. In some instances, police have not recorded charge sheets on time, which results in criminals getting bail and bribing witnesses,” he added.

In 2020, a total of 146,123 persons were held under IPC and SLL Crimes in Assam. Charge sheets were filed against 67,232 of them. Of them, 1,025 got convicted, 209 were discharged, and 17,047 were acquitted. The conviction rate for the state was 1.52% of those charge-sheeted compared to the national rate of 21.63%.

Even though the conviction rates were low, the figures for recidivism in Assam were higher than all other states in the nation.