{"id":40643,"date":"2025-04-08T20:32:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T15:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=40643"},"modified":"2025-04-09T13:47:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T08:17:27","slug":"torture-in-police-custody-india-justice-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/08-04-2025\/torture-in-police-custody-india-justice-challenge","title":{"rendered":"Torture in Police Custody: Challenge in India\u2019s Justice System"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent report by <strong>Common Cause<\/strong> and the <strong>Lokniti Programme <\/strong>highlights the prevalence of police violence, revealing systemic issues that perpetuate custodial torture.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It surveyed 8,276 police personnel across 17 states and Union Territories, revealing systemic issues in law enforcement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Custodial Torture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Torture<\/strong>, as defined by the <strong>UN Convention (1984),<\/strong> is the intentional infliction of severe physical or mental pain on a person.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is used to force confessions, punish, intimidate, or discriminate, and is carried out or approved by officials in positions of authority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Custodial Torture<\/strong> is governed by legal provisions under the <strong>Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It defines the framework for detaining individuals during investigations while balancing individual liberty and effective law enforcement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Provisions Under BNSS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Timeframe of Police Custody (Section 187(2) of BNSS):<\/strong> Police custody can now extend up to 15 days, but not necessarily continuous.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial Safeguards:<\/strong> Police must still present the accused before a magistrate.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A magistrate must approve police custody beyond 24 hours of arrest, ensuring legal safeguards against arbitrary detention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extension of Detention Beyond 15 Days: <\/strong>Similar to CrPC, Magisterial (Judicial) custody beyond 15 days can continue up to:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>60 days for offences punishable up to 10 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>90 days for offences punishable by death\/life\/\u226510 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But <strong>police custody remains capped at 15 days<\/strong>, albeit <strong>flexibly spaced<\/strong> under BNSS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Police Torture Persists in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Legal Vacuum on Torture:<\/strong> India has <strong>signed but not ratified<\/strong> the <strong>UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT), 1997<\/strong> meaning it is not legally bound to implement its provisions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Prevention of Torture Bill (2010)<\/strong> lapsed in Parliament, and subsequent efforts to introduce legislation have been shelved or diluted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Procedural Flaws and Delays: <\/strong>Supreme Court of India, in<em> K Basu vs. State of West Bengal (1997) Case,<\/em> laid down crucial guidelines to prevent custodial abuse.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, Courts often rely on magisterial inquiries \u2014 procedures riddled with procedural flaws and delays.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Incentives: <\/strong>Confessions extracted through violence are still treated as evidence, despite being inadmissible under <strong>Section 25 of the Indian Evidence Act.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Accountability:<\/strong> Investigations into custodial deaths are typically conducted by the same department involved.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Even where judicial inquiries are initiated, they are often slow, opaque, and inconclusive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Political Interference:<\/strong> Policing in India is often influenced by political pressures, which weakens impartial action and shields errant officers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings of Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Justified Use of Police Force:<\/strong> 55% of police personnel believe \u2018tough methods\u2019 are necessary to instill fear in the public.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>30% justify third-degree torture in serious cases, while 9% approve of it even for petty offenses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mob Violence and Encounters:<\/strong> 25% of police personnel support mob violence in cases like sexual harassment and child lifting.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>22% believe encounter killings are better than legal trials, though 74% support legal procedures for dangerous criminals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Arrest Procedures:<\/strong> 41% claim procedures are always followed, while 24% admit they are rarely or never adhered to.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kerala reports the highest compliance (94%), while Jharkhand reports the lowest (8%).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Victim Demographics:<\/strong> Victims of police torture predominantly belong to marginalized groups, including Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and slum dwellers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial and Medical Apathy:<\/strong> Magistrates often act as \u2018silent spectators\u2019 and medical examinations are conducted by doctors without forensic expertise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Custodial Deaths and Accountability:<\/strong> Discrepancies in official figures highlight the underreporting of custodial deaths, with numbers ranging from 76 (NCRB) to 111 (NCAT) cases in 2020.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Between 2018 and 2022, zero convictions were recorded for custodial deaths, raising concerns about impunity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations for Reform<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Enact Comprehensive Anti-Torture Legislation:<\/strong> India must pass a dedicated law against custodial torture with strict provisions for accountability, time-bound investigations, and victim compensation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Police Training: <\/strong>79% of police personnel support human rights training.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Independent Oversight Mechanisms: <\/strong>Establish monitoring bodies to ensure transparency and accountability.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>69th Report (1977) of Law Commission of India:<\/strong> It proposed introducing <strong>Section 26A in the Indian Evidence Act<\/strong> to make confessions before senior police officers admissible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>273rd Report of Law Commission of India<\/strong> recommended an anti-torture law, affirming that India\u2019s existing legal safeguards are insufficient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Malimath Committee: <\/strong>It suggested that confessions made before a senior police officer of the rank of Superintendent or above should be admissible in evidence with safeguards to prevent coercion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mandatory Use of Technology:<\/strong> CCTV coverage in interrogation rooms, digital records of questioning, and body cameras must become the norm.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Capacity Building &amp; Sensitization:<\/strong> Police training must emphasize human rights, ethical investigation techniques, and the psychological impacts of torture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial Reforms:<\/strong> Fast-track courts for custodial crimes, along with stringent penalties for complicit officials, are essential.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Custodial torture remains a deep-rooted issue in India\u2019s justice system, demanding urgent legal and institutional reforms.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By ratifying the UNCAT, enforcing stricter accountability measures, and transforming policing culture, India can move toward a more humane and rights-based approach to law enforcement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Daily Mains Practice Question<\/strong><br><strong>[Q]<\/strong> Considering the prevalence of torture in police custody within India&#8217;s justice system, do you think reforms in policing practices alone are sufficient, or should systemic changes in legal accountability and oversight mechanisms be prioritized?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/columns\/torture-police-custody-plague-india-justice-system-9922120\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: IE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UPSC-Editorial-Analysis-8-April-2025.PDF.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent report by Common Cause and the Lokniti Programme highlights the prevalence of police violence, revealing systemic issues that perpetuate custodial torture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40643"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40702,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40643\/revisions\/40702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}