Delhi Police allowed to make video depositions before court from stations

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) The Delhi Police will now be able to present evidence via video conference from police stations in a court case, according to an order passed by the Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
     A note issued by the Raj Niwas on Tuesday said the move will "drastically" reduce the time police spend in travelling to far-flung courts.
     Delhi Police estimates suggest that on average, nearly 2,000 police officers depose before various courts every day, the note said.
     The reform comes under the draft model rules (Nyaya Shruti) on video conferencing under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
     The rules recommend the inclusion of police stations as a "designated place" for deposition through video conference by police.
     "LG VK Saxena has approved notifying all police stations in Delhi as 'designated place' from where police officers can provide evidence through video conference," the note said.
     The move comes following a request by the Delhi Police to notify all 226 police stations in the city as a "designated place."
     The order covers 179 district police stations, 16 Metro rail police stations, 15 cyber police stations, eight railway police stations, two each of Crime Branch and Airport police stations, and one police station each of Economic Offence Wing (EOW), Special Cell, Crime Against Women Cell and Vigilance.
     Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has been supervising a smooth implementation of the three criminal laws, has emphasised that police deposition be made through video, the note said.
     "In a recent review meeting, he had directed for setting up adequate number of video conferencing facilities to ensure smooth functioning and proper coordination between police and the courts," it said.
     The minister, however, categorically directed that the video deposition is meant only for police and not witnesses, Raj Niwas said.
     The new practice will also lead to decongestion in the courts.
     Earlier, the video conferencing facility for providing evidence was only available in the Delhi High Court, district Courts, Delhi prisons, hospitals and the Forensic Science Laboratory and some government offices.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)