HC stresses on urgent need for witness protection programme

Noting that several witnesses in the Uttarakhand fake encounter case, involving 18 policemen of the state, had turned hostile, the Delhi High Court today stressed on the "urgent need" for a "robust scheme" to protect witnesses and victims.
While upholding the life term awarded to seven out of the 18 policemen accused of killing a 22-year-old MBA student in a fake encounter in Dehradun in 2009, a bench of justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta said that despite transferring the trial to Delhi, a large number of witnesses turned hostile.
The court has acquitted other accused.
The court said that this pointed to the "nonexistent protection given to witnesses and victims".

The bench noted in its judgement that the accused in the present case were all policemen of Uttarakhand and many of the witnesses were local residents of Dehradun.
"Despite their statements being recorded under the criminal procedure code, the prosecution could do little to stop these witnesses from turning hostile in court.
"But for PW15 (one of the witnesses), a local resident, standing firm, the entire trial may have collapsed. This is yet another case that underscores the urgent need for a robust scheme of protection to witnesses and victims," the bench said.