Delhi Police pulled up over sexual offence cases

A local court has pulled up Delhi Police for its "casual attitude" in investigating sexual offence cases, saying probe agencies should be more sensitive while dealing with victims so they could "fearlessly report" such matters.

The court's observation came while convicting Sangam Vihar resident Irfan Khan, who was accused of molesting a student in a Blueline bus in February, 2009.

 "This case has brought to the fore the casual attitude of police officials in conducting investigation in sensitive offences involving sexual crimes," Metropolitan Magistrate Priya Mahendra said.

"Invariably in all such cases, the prosecutrix (girl) is put to the hardship of coming to the police station to give her statement and for lodging her complaint.

"The police officials do not follow the mandate of law of not subjecting the prosecutrix in such cases to unnecessary inconvenience by calling them in police station and to carry out all the necessary proceedings at the spot," she said.

The court also said police officers always claim that they had conducted proceedings at the spot of such incidents but they should be "more sensitive" in dealing with these cases.

"Later on, the police officials in a parrot-like manner always claim to have conducted the proceedings at the spot, (which is) opposed to the truth, and unnecessarily create discrepancy in the truthful testimony of the prosecutrix.

"This court earnestly hopes that investigating agencies shall be more sensitive in dealing with victims of sexual offences so that such victims fearlessly report the said matters and justice is rendered to victim in a hassle-free manner," it said.

 The court held Khan guilty for the offence under section 354 (outraging women modesty) of the IPC while relying on the testimony of the complainant who had said that when she was travelling in a bus along with a friend on February 25, 2009, Khan had molested her.

The police had told the court that Khan had molested the girl, a student, and he was arrested from the spot on the complaint by the victim.

The girl had deposed before the court that after Khan had molested her, she had told about it to the co-passengers who had got hold of the accused and police was called at the spot.

She had deposed that her statement was recorded at the police station here, and she was again called to the station after around a week and she had signed some papers.

During the trial, Khan had refuted the allegations levelled against him saying he was implicated in the case and had not done any obscene act with the girl.

Khan's counsel had argued that there were contradictions in the statements of the complainant and police officers about the proceedings conducted in the case.

The defence counsel had contended that the complainant and her friend had stated in their evidence that the proceedings were done in the police station whereas the investigating officer had deposed that they were conducted by him at the spot.

The court, however, convicted Khan saying the evidence of the girl was "found to be totally credit worthy, truthful and reliable."