Witness Protection Plan

Why in news
  • The Odisha government has come up with a special ‘Witness Protection Scheme’ and has also published gazette notification for the same.
  • The scheme envisages to provide security to witnesses facing threat during the course of a legal battle.
More in news
  • Nitty Gritties of the Scheme
    (1) As per the notification a district-level standing committee, is to be constituted.
    (2) The committee would be chaired by a district and sessions judge, with the district police head as its member and the head of the prosecution in the district as its member secretary,
    (3) The committee is to take a call on the need for protection.
    (4) has also been made in the scheme.
    (5) In appropriate cases, provision of relocation of the witness to a safer place or change of identity of the witness, based on the threat analysis report have been incorporated.
    (6) A dedicated cell of the State police or Central police agencies will be assigned with the duty of implementing the witness protection order.
    (7) The Witness Protection Fund proposed to be created will bear the expenses incurred during the implementation of the protection order.
    (8) If witness lodged a false complaint, the State home department could initiate proceedings for recovery of the expenditure from the applicant.
  • Threat Analysis Report
    (1) The report is to be submitted by district police chief with regard to the seriousness and credibility of the threat to the witness or his/her family members if the person applies in a prescribed form.
    (2) The threat analysis report, prepared with full confidentiality will reach the competent authority within five working days of its order for inquiry.
    (3) It is based on the report, the authority will pass an order for protection of identity of the witness.
Source
The Hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 9th Jul 2019
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