WHAT was feared has happened. Yet another victim has succumbed to his burn injuries. The incident is linked to the ongoing agitation demanding the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya. The police have nabbed a few suspects belonging to the Khasi Students Union (KSU). How the investigation will be carried out and whether the arrested will finally convicted remains a question mark. Convictions rates in Meghalaya are abysmal and the reasons are plenty. Public prosecutors are supposed to work closely with the police investigating wing to ensure that proper evidence is collected and water tight case is built up around each crime committed so that the accused does not get out scot free.
But this has not happened and no one has evaluated this failure. Why do public prosecutors (PPs) and their assistants (APPs) fail repeatedly? Why do they blunder while presenting their cases in court? Such instances are legion but it would be embarrassing to mention these legal slip-ups. Government is a bad paymaster as far as the AP and APP is concerned. But it is difficult to recall any instance when the Advocates General (AG) appointed by the State from time to time and who enjoy all the perks, have won any case for the Government. It is time for the public to ask questions since the PP, APP and AG represent the public in court. They are paid from public funds. Very often the AP and APP are paid by the defence to weaken the case so that the accused gets out. This is very common and the Khasis even have a term for it – Ar Maloi which means eating from two sets of plates at the same time.
The danger with low conviction rates is that people lose their faith in the efficacy of law enforcement agencies and begin to take the law into their own hands. Instant justice and lynching of extortionists and murderers have happened in the past precisely because people have no more faith in the law. Easy acquittal of accused persons means that crime is not deterred and that criminals are emboldened. It is time that Government takes stock of the performance of public prosecutors and pulls them up for their non-performance.
