Separate crime investigation from law and order: Kerala HC tells govt, slams police

While considering a twin murder case lasting 25 years, the Kerala High Court has expressed anguish over the delay and said that the present situation was disgusting.

HC said that the government should think of separating crime investigation from law and order maintenance. 

“Established facts unravel a saga tending to destroy the credibility of the investigative machinery by delaying investigation and distorting evidence on unjustifiable reasons. Only on account of the best efforts by PW64 (Crime Branch DySP Mathew Polycarp), truth of a gruesome double murder could be brought to light. Genuine, committed and timely action on the part of the investigating officer would have earned much more credibility to the police force and it would have been easy to gather reliable evidence without much effort. It is high time for the government to take some concrete action in the matter of separating crime investigation and maintenance of law and order. Investigation of serious crimes entrusted to unskilled, amenable and influenceable police officers will do great amount of disservice to the citizenry,“ said a division bench of the court in the judgment (Crl. A. No. 866 2009), The Times of India quotes.

The court was considering the Chandran and Thankamani murder case of 1992, where both were killed at Mandhamchola in Nelliyampathy. Police officer Unnikrishnan who first investigated case was later made an accused for destroying evidence.

The HC was considering an appeal from Unnikrishnan in the case.

In 2014, the Supreme Court of India had observed that every acquittal in a criminal case is a failure of the justice delivery system. The apex court also directed all states to give proper training to its officers to ensure that the guilty are brought to book and the innocent are not framed falsely in cases.