Students should cross-examine governments

Bhopal, Jan 20: Law students should collectively cross-examine the governments on the police, electoral and criminal justice reforms prior to next gneral elections due in the year 2009, urged First Woman IPS officer of the country Kiran Bedi, who was felicitated with ISC-Kumarappa- Reckless Award during the concluding session of the 31st All India Criminology conference at National Law Institute University on Sunday.

Bedi termed the award as the best academic award in her entire career; which has came at the completion of the career. Strongly supporting the police reforms, she urged the law students to collectively pressurize the governments for enforcing these reforms. She lashed out at the Union and MP government for not enforcing the guidelines of Supreme Court regarding the police reforms. She urged the law students and general public to question governments on police, electoral and criminal justice reforms prior to the general elections in 2009. She stated that “We are past and youths are the present and the future of the country so they should take the responsibility of continuing the reform process”.

She informed that lot of crime complaints are going unregistered, which is very dangerous trend in the country. Bedi informed that crime figures are showing decline in the past 15 years due to this trend. She urged the Law Universities to initiate national level research projects for improving the justice system in the country. She informed about her website safeindia.com initiated for the general public for their complaints turn down by police authorities. She informed that overwhelming response to the portal, as around 1.75 million persons visited it in the first 15 days.

CJ State High Court Justice AK Patnaik results of strengthening people by the law is always good. He referred to the laws made for welfare of SCs/STs, abolishing dowry and domestic violence. He urged the law students for filing Public Interest Litigations and for garnering public support for changes. Patnaik lamented the fact that students these days are only focused on their career and job opportunities instead of public welfare. Professor SP Srivastava, New President of Indian Society of Criminology stressed on the importance of public participation in strengthening the criminal justice system. Terming these events as annual rituals, he demanded for bringing grass root changes in the content of such conferences. Outgoing President Professor MZ Khan appreciated the research and developmental activities conducted by Kiran Bedi during her tenure in Bureau of Police Research & Development.