Law and disorder: Recent judgments highlight poor police capabilities

Two verdicts two weeks apart concerning terrorist attacks in Maharashtra have highlighted the profound weaknesses in the basic capabilities of the police and investigative agencies. Both cases have vitiated the lives of the accused for almost two decades and precluded closure for the families of the victims. The sheer length of time involving the investigation and judicial process added to their distress. The serial accusations by the courts of missteps raise serious doubts about the fairness of the police service and security agencies.  In the case of the coordinated blasts on a Mumbai suburban train in July 2006, killing 187