‘Operation Conviction’ which has stipulated a three-day deadline for framing of charges, after filing of charges against those charged under POCSO, murder, cow killing, money laundering and religious conversion, among other offences, and completion of the trial in 30 days has been launched in Uttar Pradesh.
State DGP Vijay Kumar, said, “Since 2017 (the first term of the Yogi government, there has been continuous operations against mafia under the ‘zero tolerance’ policy. Under UP government directives, scientific methods are being used to collect evidence against notorious criminals. With the help of the prosecutors, quick action is being taken against them. However, now that has been strengthened under a mission mode, Under the POCSO Act, 20-25 criminals have been identified in each district and Commissionerate. The charges against them will be filed in a time bound manner and trial completed on a day to day basis in fast track courts.”
Under the mission, the responsibility of filing the charge sheet shall fall upon the concerned station house officer and the commissionerate in-charge.
Contacts shall be established with the Forensic Science Laboratory to investigate and provide evidence within 10 days.
A gazetted officer will monitor the proceedings under each district/Commissionerate.
A website shall be developed to apprise of day-to-day progress on a daily basis.
The state’s government and the police, despite their much-published achievements, have also received flak for the manner in which they seek to ‘highlight’ their ‘good work’.
The latest such episode involves the Kanpur Police which staged the recovery of a firearm from an individual, with the police being clearly heard in the background saying to make a video, which it then palmed off as ‘good work’ receiving much derision from the public.
It is also notable that at 67,200 cases pending under POCSO, the most among all the states in the country. Maharashtra is at distant second with 33,702 cases on January 31, 2023, as per numbers from the ministry of law.